Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Córdoba, Avenida Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004 Córdoba, Spain.
Eur J Endocrinol. 2012 Dec;167(6):733-47. doi: 10.1530/EJE-12-0669. Epub 2012 Sep 18.
Puberty is a fascinating developmental phase that involves the attainment of reproductive capacity and the completion of sexual and somatic maturation. As a life-changing event, puberty onset is precisely controlled by interconnected regulatory pathways that are sensitive to numerous endogenous signals and environmental cues. The mechanisms of normal puberty and its potential deviations have been thoroughly studied in humans and model species. Yet, characterization of the neurobiological basis of puberty is still incomplete. Progress on this front is not only relevant from a physiological perspective but would also help to unravel the underlying causes for the observed changes in the timing of puberty in humans, with a trend for earlier puberty onset, especially in girls. In this review, we will provide a synoptic overview of some recent developments in the field that have deepened our understanding of the neuroendocrine and molecular basis for the control of puberty onset. These include not only the demonstration of the involvement of the hypothalamic Kiss1 system in the control of puberty and its modulation by metabolic cues but also the identification of the roles of other neuropeptide pathways and molecular mediators in the regulation of puberty. In addition, the potential contribution of novel regulatory mechanisms, such as epigenetics, in the central control of puberty will be briefly discussed. Characterization of these novel players and regulatory mechanisms will improve our understanding of the basis of normal puberty and its eventual alterations in various pathological conditions.
青春期是一个令人着迷的发育阶段，涉及生殖能力的获得和性及躯体成熟的完成。作为一个改变人生的事件，青春期的启动是由相互关联的调节途径精确控制的，这些途径对许多内源性信号和环境线索敏感。正常青春期及其潜在偏差的机制在人类和模式生物中已经得到了彻底研究。然而，青春期的神经生物学基础的特征仍不完全。这方面的进展不仅具有生理学意义，还有助于揭示人类青春期启动时间变化的潜在原因，女孩的青春期启动时间尤其较早。在这篇综述中，我们将提供该领域一些最新进展的概述，这些进展加深了我们对青春期启动控制的神经内分泌和分子基础的理解。这些进展不仅包括证明下丘脑 Kiss1 系统参与了青春期的控制及其对代谢线索的调节，还包括鉴定其他神经肽途径和分子介质在青春期调节中的作用。此外，还将简要讨论新的调节机制，如表观遗传学，在中枢控制青春期中的潜在贡献。这些新型参与者和调节机制的特征将改善我们对正常青春期及其在各种病理状况下最终改变的基础的理解。
