Brain Research Institute, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2021 Sep 10;12:728862. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2021.728862. eCollection 2021.
Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) was first discovered in the Japanese quail, and peptides with a C-terminal LPXRFamide sequence, the signature protein structure defining GnIH orthologs, are well conserved across vertebrate species, including fish, reptiles, amphibians, avians, and mammals. In the mammalian brain, three RFamide-related proteins (RFRP-1, RFRP-2, RFRP-3 = GnIH) have been identified as orthologs to the avian GnIH. GnIH is found primarily in the hypothalamus of all vertebrate species, while its receptors are distributed throughout the brain including the hypothalamus and the pituitary. The primary role of GnIH as an inhibitor of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and pituitary gonadotropin release is well conserved in mammalian and non-mammalian species. Circadian rhythmicity of GnIH, regulated by light and seasons, can influence reproductive activity, mating behavior, aggressive behavior, and feeding behavior. There is a potential link between circadian rhythms of GnIH, anxiety-like behavior, sleep, stress, and infertility. Therefore, in this review, we highlight the functions of GnIH in biological rhythms, social behaviors, and reproductive and non-reproductive activities across a variety of mammalian and non-mammalian vertebrate species.
促性腺激素抑制激素（GnIH）最初在日本鹌鹑中被发现，具有 C 端 LPXRFamide 序列的肽，是 GnIH 同源物的特征蛋白结构，在包括鱼类、爬行动物、两栖动物、鸟类和哺乳动物在内的脊椎动物物种中得到很好的保守。在哺乳动物大脑中，三种 RFamide 相关蛋白（RFRP-1、RFRP-2、RFRP-3=GnIH）已被鉴定为鸟类 GnIH 的同源物。GnIH 主要存在于所有脊椎动物的下丘脑，而其受体分布于整个大脑，包括下丘脑和垂体。GnIH 作为促性腺激素释放激素（GnRH）和垂体促性腺激素释放的抑制剂的主要作用在哺乳动物和非哺乳动物物种中得到很好的保守。GnIH 的昼夜节律受光和季节的调节，可影响生殖活动、交配行为、攻击行为和摄食行为。GnIH 的昼夜节律与焦虑样行为、睡眠、应激和不孕之间存在潜在联系。因此，在这篇综述中，我们强调了 GnIH 在各种哺乳动物和非哺乳动物脊椎动物的生物节律、社会行为以及生殖和非生殖活动中的作用。
