Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences on reproductive biology and medicine
Reproduction Abstracts (2014) 1 P347 | DOI: 10.1530/repabs.1.P347

WCRB2014 POSTER PRESENTATIONS (1) (335 abstracts)

The role of kisspeptin for defeminization and masculinization of sexual behaviors in rats

Sho Nakamura 1 , Yoshihisa Uenoyama 2 , Kana Ikegami 2 , Chihiro Tamura 3 , Makoto Sanbo 3 , Masumi Hirabayashi 3 , Hiroko Tsukamura 2 & Kei-ichiro Maeda 1


1The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Japan; 2Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan; 3National Institute for Physiological Science, Okazaki, Japan.


Kisspeptin, encoded by Kiss1 gene, is considered to be a key regulator for GnRH secretion. Kiss1 knockout (KO) rats are infertile due to the absence of gonadotropin secretion in both sexes. Kiss1 KO male rats receiving testosterone during their adult age showed no male sexual behaviors (mount, intromission, and ejaculation), but showed female sexual behavior (lordosis) in Kiss1 KO males. To examine whether kisspeptin is also needed to induce male sexual behaviors in adulthood, Kiss1 KO males received central injection of kisspeptin (1 nmol). Kisspeptin treatment did not recover male sexual behaviors of testosterone-primed Kiss1 KO males. It is plausible that kisspeptin acts in the processes of masculinization and defeminization of brain during perinatal period. In order to clarify perinatal kisspeptin involvement in remodeling the brain controlling sexual behaviors, plasma testosterone levels, and exogenous estradiol effects were investigated in Kiss1 KO rats. Kiss1 KO males showed a high plasma testosterone level at embryonic day 18 and postnatal day 0 similar to WT males. Administration of 150 ng estradiol benzoate at postnatal day 0 suppressed female sexual behavior in Kiss1 KO adult male rats. The present study showed that kisspeptin is needed for masculinization and defeminization of sexual behavior in male rats. Taken together, kisspeptin is most likely to have a role in a conversion of estradiol from testosterone in a rat brain during perinatal period.

Volume 1

World Congress of Reproductive Biology 2014

Edinburgh, UK
02 Sep 2014 - 04 Sep 2014

World Congress of Reproductive Biology 

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