Evolution of gonadotropin-releasing hormones
1MRC Regulatory Peptides Research Unit, Department of Chemical Pathology, University of Cape Town Medical School and Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory 7925, Cape Town, South Africa.
Abstract:
GnRH was originally isolated as a hypothalamic peptide hormone that regulates the reproductive system by stimulating the release of gonadotropins from the anterior pituitary. However, multiple molecular forms of the peptide have evolved, which have been coopted for a variety of regulatory functions: as a neurotransmitter in the central and sympathetic nervous systems, as a paracrine regulator in the gonads and placenta, and as an autocrine regulator in tumor cells. We review here the evolution of these variant forms of GnRH and their functions.
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