Bioscientifica Proceedings

Summary. The pubertal activation of high-frequency episodic pulses of GnRH is believed to occur as a result of a change in the balance between inhibitory and excitatory stimuli to GnRH neurons. Kisspeptin neurons have been identified as major components of the pathway that regulates GnRH neuronal activity and appear to mediate the effects of estradiol in the control of GnRH secretion. The influence of nutrition on timing the onset of puberty may also involve kisspeptin neurons. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons in the hypothalamus interact with kisspeptin neurons in a network that is likely to mediate the nutritional and gonadal steroid regulation of reproductive function. Pre- and postnatal programming of these neuronal networks may be a primary mechanism by which nutrition and endocrine factors time the onset of a pubertal pattern of GnRH secretion. The genetic components underlying the function of these networks have begun to be revealed with the availability of high- throughput technologies and computational tools. A complex, highly interactive network of regulatory genes appears upstream to KISS1 and probably involves multiple cellular phenotypes. Characterization of the cellular location, temporal activation, and biological function of the various molecular components of the genetic network that regulate kisspeptin neuronal pathways will be essential for a full understanding of the role of KISS1 in the process of pubertal maturation.

© 2014 Society for Reproduction and Fertility