Galanin-like peptide as a link in the integration of metabolism and reproduction
Date
2004-07Author
Steiner, Robert A.
Gottsch, Michelle L.
Clifton, Donald K.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The arcuate nucleus is a hypothalamic center that couples energetics and
reproduction. Peptide-releasing neurons in the arcuate nucleus receive and
process humoral signals from the periphery and relay this information to
other nuclei in the hypothalamus and preoptic area. Galanin-like peptide
(GALP) is expressed in the arcuate nucleus, and GALP-containing neurons
are targets for the action of leptin. GALP-containing neurons are closely
apposed to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons in the preoptic
area, and CNS injections of GALP stimulate GnRH-mediated secretion of
luteinizing hormone. These observations indicate that GALP is a molecular
signal that couples circulating indices of metabolism to the
neuroendocrine reproductive system and, thus, regulates reproductive
activity as a function of the energy state. In this article, we describe
the involvement of GALP in metabolism and reproduction, and in the
coupling between these two processes.