Overexpression of Rap1B alleviate central precocious puberty and neurodevelopmental damage

Xiaodong Liu1, Lingwen Zeng2

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Huangshan Huaze integrated traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital, 54 Qianyuan South Road, Tunxi District, Huangshan 245041, Anhui, China.

Cellular Signalling
|June 15, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Overexpressing Rap1B alleviates central precocious puberty (CPP) by reducing harmful hormones and inflammation. This finding offers a potential new treatment strategy for CPP in children and adolescents.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Central precocious puberty (CPP) negatively impacts children's physical and psychological health.
  • The role of Rap1B in mitigating CPP development is currently unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential of Rap1B in alleviating central precocious puberty (CPP).
  • To explore the molecular mechanisms underlying Rap1B's effects on CPP and neurodevelopmental damage.

Main Methods:

  • Bioinformatics analysis of Rap1B expression.
  • Establishment of a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced CPP rat model with AAV-Rap1B injection.
  • Histological examination (HE staining), cell smear analysis, Western blot, RT-qPCR, IHC, and ELISA to assess CPP markers and related gene/protein expression.
  • In vitro studies using a Rap1B cell line to evaluate the impact of fatty acids on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammation.

Main Results:

  • Overexpression of Rap1B alleviated HFD-induced CPP in rats, reducing serum hormone levels (LH, FSH, E2, T, AMH) and hypothalamic expression of GnRH, Kiss1, and Kiss1R.
  • Rap1B overexpression mitigated hypothalamic injury and reversed fatty acid-induced damage in GT1-7 cells.
  • Reduced levels of inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α) were observed in GT1-7 cells overexpressing Rap1B.

Conclusions:

  • Overexpression of Rap1B effectively alleviates central precocious puberty (CPP) and associated neurodevelopmental damage.
  • Rap1B presents a promising new therapeutic target for the treatment of CPP.
Abstract