Kisspeptin-Gpr54 Signaling Could Lead to New Fertility Treatments in Humans

A recent study shows a new piece of the puzzle in understanding how brain function is crucial to normal fertility in humans and other mammals.

Researchers at New Zealand's University of Otago discuss these critical findings and the possibility of novel therapies with couples who may be having difficulties conceiving.

Lead study author and neuroscientist at Otago Professor Allan Herbinson discovered the key cellular location of signaling between a small protein known as kisspeptin and its receptor, called Gpr54. They found that this protein plays a crucial role in fertility in humans.

Yet researchers note that the kisspeptin-Gpr54 signaling occur only in a small population of nerve cells in the brain called gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons.

By using state-of-the-art techniques, the researchers examined mice that lacked these receptors in only their GnRH neurons to find that they would not undergo puberty and were thus infertile. However, when the mice were exposed to the gene, they could transform to a completely normal life again.

The findings show a potentially substantial step forward for the enabling for new fertility treatments.

"Infertility is a major issue affecting millions of people worldwide. It's currently estimated that up to 20 per cent of New Zealand couples are infertile, and it is thought that up to one-third of all cases of infertility in women involve disorders in the area of brain circuitry we are studying.

"Our new understanding of the exact mechanism by which kisspeptin acts as a master controller of reproduction is an exciting breakthrough which opens up avenues for tackling what is often a very heart-breaking health issue. Through detailing this mechanism we now have a key chemical switch to which drugs can be precisely targeted," Professor Herbison said, via a press release.

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More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Nature Communications.