RFRP neurons - the doorway to understanding seasonal reproduction in mammals
Seasonal control of reproduction is critical for the perpetuation of species living in temperate zones that display major changes in climatic environment and availability of food resources. In mammals, seasonal cues are mainly provided by the annual change in the 24h light/dark ratio (i.e. photoperi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2016-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Endocrinology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fendo.2016.00036/full |
| _version_ | 1830491272465350656 |
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| author | Jo Beldring Henningsen François eGauer Valerie eSimonneaux |
| author_facet | Jo Beldring Henningsen François eGauer Valerie eSimonneaux |
| author_sort | Jo Beldring Henningsen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Seasonal control of reproduction is critical for the perpetuation of species living in temperate zones that display major changes in climatic environment and availability of food resources. In mammals, seasonal cues are mainly provided by the annual change in the 24h light/dark ratio (i.e. photoperiod), which is translated into the nocturnal production of the pineal hormone melatonin. The annual rhythm in this melatonin signal acts as a synchronizer ensuring that breeding occurs when environmental conditions favor survival of the offspring. Although specific mechanisms might vary among seasonal species, the hypothalamic RF (Arg-Phe) amide-related peptides (RFRP-1 and -3) are believed to play a critical role in the central control of seasonal reproduction and in all seasonal species investigated, the RFRP system is persistently inhibited in short photoperiod. Central chronic administration of RFRP-3 in short day-adapted male Syrian hamsters fully reactivates the reproductive axis despite photoinhibitory conditions, which highlights the importance of the seasonal changes in RFRP expression for proper regulation of the reproductive axis. The acute effects of RFRP peptides, however, depend on species, photoperiod and recent studies point towards a different role of RFRP in regulating female reproductive activity. In this review we summarize the recent advances made to understand the role and underlying mechanisms of RFRP in the seasonal control of reproduction, primarily focusing on mammalian species. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T20:07:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-12610e0ea6db4dc7b1309d6fef710760 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-2392 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T20:07:19Z |
| publishDate | 2016-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Endocrinology |
| spelling | doaj.art-12610e0ea6db4dc7b1309d6fef7107602022-12-21T18:51:48ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Endocrinology1664-23922016-05-01710.3389/fendo.2016.00036195243RFRP neurons - the doorway to understanding seasonal reproduction in mammalsJo Beldring Henningsen0François eGauer1Valerie eSimonneaux2Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueCentre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueCentre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueSeasonal control of reproduction is critical for the perpetuation of species living in temperate zones that display major changes in climatic environment and availability of food resources. In mammals, seasonal cues are mainly provided by the annual change in the 24h light/dark ratio (i.e. photoperiod), which is translated into the nocturnal production of the pineal hormone melatonin. The annual rhythm in this melatonin signal acts as a synchronizer ensuring that breeding occurs when environmental conditions favor survival of the offspring. Although specific mechanisms might vary among seasonal species, the hypothalamic RF (Arg-Phe) amide-related peptides (RFRP-1 and -3) are believed to play a critical role in the central control of seasonal reproduction and in all seasonal species investigated, the RFRP system is persistently inhibited in short photoperiod. Central chronic administration of RFRP-3 in short day-adapted male Syrian hamsters fully reactivates the reproductive axis despite photoinhibitory conditions, which highlights the importance of the seasonal changes in RFRP expression for proper regulation of the reproductive axis. The acute effects of RFRP peptides, however, depend on species, photoperiod and recent studies point towards a different role of RFRP in regulating female reproductive activity. In this review we summarize the recent advances made to understand the role and underlying mechanisms of RFRP in the seasonal control of reproduction, primarily focusing on mammalian species.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fendo.2016.00036/fullMelatoninRFRPphotoperiodSeasonal ReproductionTSH |
| spellingShingle | Jo Beldring Henningsen François eGauer Valerie eSimonneaux RFRP neurons - the doorway to understanding seasonal reproduction in mammals Frontiers in Endocrinology Melatonin RFRP photoperiod Seasonal Reproduction TSH |
| title | RFRP neurons - the doorway to understanding seasonal reproduction in mammals |
| title_full | RFRP neurons - the doorway to understanding seasonal reproduction in mammals |
| title_fullStr | RFRP neurons - the doorway to understanding seasonal reproduction in mammals |
| title_full_unstemmed | RFRP neurons - the doorway to understanding seasonal reproduction in mammals |
| title_short | RFRP neurons - the doorway to understanding seasonal reproduction in mammals |
| title_sort | rfrp neurons the doorway to understanding seasonal reproduction in mammals |
| topic | Melatonin RFRP photoperiod Seasonal Reproduction TSH |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fendo.2016.00036/full |
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