Reproduction Abstracts

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is generally thought to be a genetic disease, which affects 5–10% of women of reproductive age (approximately 11–47 years old). Typically, PCOS is characterized by the formation of cysts on the ovaries and ovulatory failure. Characteristically PCOS results in high levels of androgens such as testosterone and insulin resistance within the blood. The ovaries of Kiss1 mutant mice have been shown to frequently form multiple cysts...

Kisspeptin neuropeptides stimulate release of GnRH to maintain mammalian fertility. Kisspeptins are encoded by the Kiss1 gene and directly stimulate GnRH neurons via the G-protein coupled receptor54 (GPR54). Transgenic mice with inactivating mutations of Kiss1 or Gpr54 are sterile and have underdeveloped gonads (hypogonadism) and low GnRH levels caused by a failure to secrete GnRH. The aim of this study was to determine whether the sterility of mutan...