Advancing reproductive neuroendocrinology through research on the regulation of GnIH and on its diverse actions on reproductive physiology and behavior

Abstract

The discovery of gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) in 2000 has led to a new research era of reproductive neuroendocrinology because, for a long time, researchers believed that only gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) regulated reproduction as a neurohormone. Later studies on GnIH demonstrated that it acts as a new key neurohormone inhibiting reproduction in vertebrates. GnIH reduces gonadotropin release andsynthesis via the GnIH receptor GPR147 on gonadotropes and GnRH neurons. Furthermore, GnIH inhibits reproductive behavior, in addition to reproductive neuroendocrine function. The modification of the synthesis of GnIH and its release by the neuroendocrine integration of environmental and internal factors has also been demonstrated. Thus, the discovery of GnIH has facilitated advances in reproductive neuroendocrinology. Here, we describe the advances in reproductive neuroendocrinology driven by the discovery of GnIH, research on the effects of GnIH on reproductive physiology and behavior, and the regulatory mechanisms underlying GnIH synthesis and release.

Keywords: Ambient temperature; Glucocorticoid; Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH); Hypothalamus; Melatonin; Norepinephrine; Photoperiod; Social interaction; Stress; Thyroid hormone.