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Neuroanatomy of the Kisspeptin Signaling System in Mammals: Comparative and Developmental Aspects

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Kisspeptin Signaling in Reproductive Biology

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

Abstract

Our understanding of kisspeptin and its actions depends, in part, on a detailed knowledge of the neuroanatomy of the kisspeptin signaling system in the brain. In this chapter, we will review our current knowledge of the distribution of kisspeptin cells, fibers, and receptors in the mammalian brain, including the development, phenotype, and projections of different kisspeptin subpopulations. A fairly consistent picture emerges from this analysis. There are two major groups of kisspeptin cell bodies: a large number in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) and a smaller collection in the rostral periventricular area of the third ventricle (RP3V) of rodents and preoptic area (POA) of non-rodents. Both sets of neurons project to GnRH cell bodies, which contain Kiss1r, and the ARC kisspeptin population also projects to GnRH axons in the median eminence. ARC kisspeptin neurons contain neurokinin B and dynorphin, while a variable percentage of those cells in the RP3V of rodents contain galanin and/or dopamine. Neurokinin B and dynorphin have been postulated to contribute to the control of GnRH pulses and sex steroid negative feedback, while the role of galanin and dopamine in rostral kisspeptin neurons is not entirely clear. Kisspeptin neurons, fibers, and Kiss1r are found in other areas, including widespread areas outside the hypothalamus, but their physiological role(s) in these regions remains to be determined.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Lique M. Coolen for her valuable assistance in the preparation of Fig. 3.3. This work is supported by a grant from NIH (NIH RO1 HD033916)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA

    Michael N. Lehman

  2. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, 9229, Morgantown, WV, 26505-9229, USA

    Stanley M. Hileman & Robert L. Goodman Ph.D.

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  1. Michael N. Lehman
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  2. Stanley M. Hileman
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Correspondence to Robert L. Goodman 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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Lehman, M.N., Hileman, S.M., Goodman, R.L. (2013). Neuroanatomy of the Kisspeptin Signaling System in Mammals: Comparative and Developmental Aspects. 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_3

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