PET PET
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
Become a Friend Donate
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements
PETBioNewsNewsHormone 'pulses' that govern fertility are regulated by brain cells

BioNews

Hormone 'pulses' that govern fertility are regulated by brain cells

Published 12 March 2021 posted in News and appears in BioNews 1087

Author

Beatrice Costa

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.

A specific type of brain cell is essential to fertility, Japanese researchers have discovered, suggesting a possible new approach for fertility treatment...

A specific type of neuron is essential to fertility, Japanese researchers have discovered, suggesting a possible new approach to combat infertility. 

The cells, called KNDy neurons, which are found in the hypothalamus brain region, were shown to be required in generating the 'pulses' of hormones that drive the reproductive systems of male and female mammals. The mechanism by which these pulses are generated had previously been a mystery.

'Reports suggest that at least 25 percent of ovarian disorders are due to dysfunction of the brain mechanism controlling the release of gonadotropins, a kind of hypothalamic reproductive disorder,' said Professor Hiroko Tsukamura, from Nagoya University, who led the research.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a molecule controlled by the hypothalamus that regulates the release of a range of reproductive hormones – such as gonadotropins – into the bloodstream. 

KNDy neurons are known to secrete several signalling molecules including kisspeptin, a hormone encoded by the Kiss1 gene, that is linked to puberty onset and influences the development of ovaries and testes. Additionally, kisspeptin signalling plays a key role in regulating the healthy release of GnRH (that is, in pulses) and subsequent release of gonadotropin pulses. 

The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used genetically modified female rats to demonstrate that a lack of properly functioning KNDy neurons causes infertility. Researchers deleted the Kiss1 gene in a female rat to stop kisspeptin production and observed that no GnRH/gonadotropin pulses were produced and that the animal was infertile. On the contrary, when they boosted the number of properly functioning KNDy neurons by inserting the Kiss1 gene, gonadotropin pulses started again. 

'KNDy neuron deficient male and female mammals can never be fertile,' said Professor Tsukamura 'Seen in this light, KNDy and then gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons are indispensable for fertility in both male and female mammals'.

The authors suggest that 'rescuing' KNDy neurons using gene therapy could prove effective in restoring fertility. They plan to conduct further studies to translate these findings into humans.

Sources and References

  • 12/03/2021
    News Medical Life Sciences
    New approach could treat infertility caused by abnormal GnRH secretion
  • 02/02/2021
    Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
    Direct evidence that KNDy neurons maintain gonadotropin pulses and folliculogenesis as the GnRH pulse generator
  • 30/01/2021
    Forbes
    Restoring Function To KNDy Neurons In Brain Could Reverse Infertility

Related Articles

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
News
25 September 2015 • 2 minutes read

Clomiphene outperforms new treatment for unexplained fertility

by Arit Udoh

A study shows that treatment of unexplained infertility with the standard treatment clomiphene results in more live births, and a lower risk of multiple births, than a potential new drug letrozole...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
News
17 August 2015 • 2 minutes read

Ageing ovaries - not eggs - may lead to IVF failure

by Kirsty Oswald

Changes to the activity of cells in the ovary may contribute to poorer IVF success rates among women in their 40s...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
News
9 June 2009 • 1 minute read

Puberty hormone may help infertile women

by Heidi Nicholl

Scientists at Imperial College, London have trialled a potential new treatment for infertility in healthy female volunteers. Kisspeptin is a reproductive hormone discovered in the town of Hershey, Pennsylvania and named after the town's most famous export ('Hershey's Kisses' chocolates). Mutations in the receptor for Kisspeptin result...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

« Novel treatment for breast cancer brain metastases

Data-Label The UK's Leading Supplier Of Medical Labels & Asset Labels

RetiringDentist.co.uk The UK's Leading M&A Company.

Find out how you can advertise here
easyfundraising
amazon

This month in BioNews

  • Popular
  • Recent
8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Placenta and organ formation observed in mouse embryo models

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Lower hormone doses may improve IVF egg quality

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Boosting muscle cell production of gene therapy proteins

1 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

First UK medical guidelines issued for trans fertility preservation

1 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Male age has more impact on IVF birth rate than previously thought

15 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Call to end ban on HIV-positive partner gamete 'donation'

15 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Melanoma invades new tissues using nerve cell gene

15 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Exceeding alcohol limits could damage DNA and accelerate ageing

15 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Blood cell gene mutations affect mitochondria, increasing cardiovascular disease risk

15 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Jumping gene helps immune system fight viruses

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
PET PET

PET is an independent charity that improves choices for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Navigation

  • About Us
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • BioNews
  • Events
  • Engagement
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us

BioNews

  • News
  • Comment
  • Reviews
  • Elsewhere
  • Topics
  • Glossary
  • Newsletters

Other

  • My Account
  • Subscribe

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856