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Developmental Changes in the Expression of Kisspeptin mRNA in Rat Hypothalamus

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Abstract

Kisspeptin is a family of neuropeptides and the natural ligands of G protein-coupled receptor (GPR)-54. Kisspeptin/GPR-54 system is known to play a pivotal role in puberty onset and in the regulation of reproductive functions. To clarify the postnatal ontogeny of kisspeptin neurons in rat hypothalamus, we analyzed the expression patterns of kisspeptin mRNA from neonate to adult by in situ hybridization. In anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV), kisspeptin mRNA were first detected at postnatal day (PND) 7 and postnatal week 3 in males and females, respectively, and the number of kisspeptin mRNA-expressing neurons increased during development in both sexes. In the arcuate nucleus (ARC), kisspeptin mRNA was present from PND3. In males, the number of kisspeptin mRNA-expressing neurons gradually increased during development. In females, the number of kisspeptin mRNA-expressing neurons in neonates was greater than in males; it significantly decreased at juvenile stages and then increased toward adulthood. These results indicate that the increase in kisspeptin mRNA expression in ARC across puberty might be involved in the onset of puberty. We also demonstrate that the kisspeptin mRNA-expressing neurons in ARC appear earlier than those in AVPV and show clear sex differences in their numbers during neonatal period.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Takeda Pharmaceutical Company for kindly providing rat KiSS-1 cDNA. This work was supported by the Grant-in-Aids from Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, Japan (#S0801035, 22590230 to H.O.), and Naito Foundation (to H.O.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8602, Japan

    Ken Takumi, Norio Iijima & Hitoshi Ozawa

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  1. Ken Takumi
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  2. Norio Iijima
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  3. Hitoshi Ozawa
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Correspondence to Hitoshi Ozawa.

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This study was presented at GPCR2010 Symposium, the official satellite symposium of the 14th International Congress of Endocrinology, Kyoto

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Takumi, K., Iijima, N. & Ozawa, H. Developmental Changes in the Expression of Kisspeptin mRNA in Rat Hypothalamus. J Mol Neurosci 43, 138–145 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-010-9430-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-010-9430-1

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