DEFINING THE ROLE OF KISS1 NEURONS IN THE ROSTRAL PERIVENTRICULAR AREA OF THE THIRD VENTRICLE (RP3V) IN MALE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

MALE AND FEMALE BRAINS PRESENT SIGNIFICANT ANATOMIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES, INCLUDING DIFFERENT NUMBER OF CELLS AND GENE EXPRESSION PROFILES IN CERTAIN NEURONAL POPULATIONS. THIS DIVERGENCE IS THOUGHT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SEX DIFFERENCES OBSERVED IN SEVERAL ASPECTS OF REPRODUCTION, SUCH AS THE TIMING OF PUBERTY ONSET OR THE ABILITY TO GENERATE A PRE-OVULATORY GNRH/LH SURGE. MALE MICE APPEAR TO HAVE A VERY LOW NUMBER OF KISSPEPTIN-EXPRESSING NEURONS IN THE ROSTRAL PERIVENTRICULAR AREA OF THE THIRD VENTRICLE (RP3V) COMPARED TO FEMALES. THIS HAS LED TO THE HYPOTHESIS THAT SEXUAL DIMORPHISM OF THE RP3V KISS1 (KISS1RP3V) NEURONS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ABILITY OF FEMALES, BUT NOT MALES, TO GENERATE GNRH/LH SURGES. TO GAIN FURTHER INSIGHT INTO THE FUNCTION OF KISS1RP3V NEURONS IN THE MALE MICE, WE WILL USE GENETIC MOUSE MODELS IN COMBINATION WITH MOLECULAR PROFILING TECHNIQUES AND BEHAVIORAL ASSAYS TO CHARACTERIZE AND IDENTIFY THE ROLE OF KISS1RP3V NEURONS IN MALE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH. WE EXPECT THAT THE RESEARCH PROPOSED HERE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLEX HORMONAL REGULATION OF MALE REPRODUCTION AND HAVE POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TREATMENT OF REPRODUCTIVE DISORDERS SUCH AS INFERTILITY AND HYPOGONADISM.