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The Development of Kisspeptin Circuits in the Mammalian Brain

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Kisspeptin Signaling in Reproductive Biology

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 784))

Abstract

The neuropeptide kisspeptin, encoded by the Kiss1 gene, is required for mammalian puberty and fertility. Examining the development of the kisspeptin system contributes to our understanding of pubertal progression and adult reproduction and sheds light on possible mechanisms underlying the development of reproductive disorders, such as precocious puberty or hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Recent work, primarily in rodent models, has begun to study the development of kisspeptin neurons and their regulation by sex steroids and other factors at early life stages. In the brain, kisspeptin is predominantly expressed in two areas of the hypothalamus, the anteroventral periventricular nucleus and neighboring periventricular nucleus (pre-optic area in some species) and the arcuate nucleus. Kisspeptin neurons in these two hypothalamic regions are differentially regulated by testosterone and estradiol, both in development and in adulthood, and also display differences in their degree of sexual dimorphism. In this chapter, we discuss what is currently known and not known about the ontogeny, maturation, and sexual differentiation of kisspeptin neurons, as well as their regulation by sex steroids and other factors during development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Reproductive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, 0674, Leichtag Building, Room 3A-15, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

    Sheila J. Semaan, Kristen P. Tolson & Alexander S. Kauffman Ph.D.

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  1. Sheila J. Semaan
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  2. Kristen P. Tolson
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  3. Alexander S. Kauffman Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Alexander S. Kauffman Ph.D. .

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  1. , Department of Reproductive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, California, USA

    Alexander S. Kauffman

  2. School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, The University of Western Australia, Hackett Drive, Nedlands, 6009, West Australia, Australia

    Jeremy T. Smith

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Semaan, S.J., Tolson, K.P., Kauffman, A.S. (2013). The Development of Kisspeptin Circuits in the Mammalian Brain. In: Kauffman, A., Smith, J. (eds) Kisspeptin Signaling in Reproductive Biology. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 784. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6199-9_11

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