How the brain circuitry controls fertility

The new findings of a group of researchers are published in the leading international journal Nature Communications brought the final piece in the puzzle of understanding how the brain circuitry vital to normal fertility in humans and other mammals operates. The research team, led by Otago neuroscientist Professor Allan Herbison, have discovered the key cellular location of signaling between a small protein known as kisspeptin and its receptor, called Gpr54. Kisspeptin had earlier been found to be crucial for fertility in humans, and in a subsequent major breakthrough Professor Herbison showed that this molecule was also vital for ovulation to occur. “Our new understanding of the exact mechanism by which kisspeptin acts as a master controller of reproduction is an exciting breakthrough which opens up avenues for tackling what is often a very heart-breaking health issue. Through detailing this mechanism we now have a key chemical switch to which drugs can be precisely targeted”, Professor Herbison says. “We are delighted to have published this work in one of the top scientific journals and also to be able to maintain the leading role of New Zealand researchers in understanding fertility control”, he says.