Kisspeptins in Teleosts

Kisspeptins in Teleosts

Kisspeptins in Teleosts (#72)

Ishwar Parhar ¹

Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, SEL, Malaysia

Kisspeptin, a hypothalamic neuropeptide, is the principal regulator of reproduction that acts upstream of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). We have identified two kisspeptins (Kiss1 and Kiss2) and two kisspeptin receptor types (Kiss-R1 and Kiss-R2) in the teleost species. In the zebrafish brain, Kiss1 neurons are located in the ventral habenula, which project to the median raphe. Kiss2 neurons are located in the posterior tuberal nucleus and the periventricular hypothalamic nucleus. Recently, we have identified the potential role of habenular Kiss1 neurons in the modulation of serotonin (5-HT) and 5-HT dependent behaviours. We conjugated zebrafish Kiss1 peptide to saporin to selectively inactivate Kiss-R1-expressing neurons, which significantly reduced alarm substance (AS)-evoked fear response. These observations suggest that Kiss1 could be involved in social behaviours. On the other hand, the hypothalamic Kiss2 neurons together with Kiss-R2 expression in GnRH neurons have been viewed as potent regulators of reproductive function in fish. These results suggest independent roles for the two kisspeptins in reproductive and non-reproductive functions in teleosts.

Authors contributing to this presentation.

Parhar, I

Ishwar Parhar is Professor of Neuroscience at the Jeffery Cheah School of Medicine and is the Director of the Brain Research Institute Monash University Malaysia. He received his early education in Malaysia, a Ph.D in Neuroendocrinology from the National University of Singapore, and was a postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Donald Pfaff at the Rockefeller University, New York, USA. He held faculty position at Nippon Medical School, Tokyo from 1994-2006, prior to his current position at Monash University. He currently serves as the President for the NeruoMalaysia Society , Secretary for the Asia Oceania Society for Comparative Endocrinology and as the Associate Editor for General and Comparative Endocrinology. Prof. Ishwar has broad research interest related to comparative neuroendocrinology of reproduction. He has been working on the multiple GnRH systems in teleost and over the last decade he has been working with kisspeptin neuropeptide. His work was first to show the relationship between kisspetin and the GnRH system using laser capture. His recent work suggests that kisspeptin could be involved in fear. He has more than 100 scientific articles published in high impact international journals.

Kisspeptins in Teleosts (#72)

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Parhar, I

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