Kisspeptin signaling in the brain: recent developments and future challenges

Abstract

Kisspeptins, a family of peptides encoded by the KISS1 gene which binds GPR54 (or KISS1 receptor), have recently emerged as essential neuropeptide regulators of key aspects of reproductive maturation and function, including puberty onset, neuroendocrine control of ovulation and metabolic regulation of fertility. Yet, while the neuroanatomy of kisspeptin system has begun to be deciphered, and the involvement of kisspeptins in the above phenomena has been experimentally documented in recent years, precise information on the signaling events underlying these functions has remained scarce. Similarly, the nature and mechanisms of action of most of the regulatory signals of KISS1 expression in the brain are largely unknown. In this review, we will comprehensively summarize some of the recent developments in these areas of kisspeptin physiology, with the ultimate aim to delineate unresolved questions and future pathways for the progression of this active field of Neuroendocrinology.