KISSPEPTINS: NEW FAMILY OF REGULATORY PEPTIDES: ROLE IN MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF HUMAN PATHOLOGY

M.A. Paltsev (1), A.O. Durnova (2), V.O. Polyakova (2), I.M. Kvetnoy (2)
1 -National Research Centre «Kurchatov Institute», Akademika Kurchatova Square, 1, Moscow, Russian Federation, 123182;
2 -D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mendeleevskaya line, 3, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation, 199034

The paper is devoted to the history of the discovery of a new class of signaling molecules – kisspeptins and analysis of current ideas on their biological role. KISS1 gene was first described in 1996 as a gene which prevents metastasis of tumor cells. In the following 15 years of the active study kisspeptins and their receptors (KISS1R) have been shown to play the key role in the triggering of puberty and regulation of processes in the human reproductive system. Numerous recent studies have established the relationship between kisspeptins and other physiological processes, such as, for example, the secretion of insulin, vasoconstriction, and nutritional status. The paper also highlights the possible involvement of kisspeptins in the pathogenesis of certain diseases.
Keywords: 
kisspeptins, signaling molecules, regulation of homeostasis, puberty, infertility, trophoblast invasion, metastasis