TY - JOUR
T1 - A system biology approach to identify regulatory pathways underlying the neuroendocrine control of female puberty in rats and nonhuman primates
AU - Lomniczi, Alejandro
AU - Wright, Hollis
AU - Castellano, Juan Manuel
AU - Sonmez, Kemal
AU - Ojeda, Sergio R.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the US National Science Foundation (NSF: IOS1121691), and by the US National Institute of Health (NIH: HD025123-ARRA, and P51-OD 011092-53 supporting the operation of the Oregon National Primate Research Center).
PY - 2013/7
Y1 - 2013/7
N2 - This article is part of a Special Issue "Puberty and Adolescence".Puberty is a major developmental milestone controlled by the interaction of genetic factors and environmental cues of mostly metabolic and circadian nature. An increased pulsatile release of the decapeptide gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) from hypothalamic neurosecretory neurons is required for both the initiation and progression of the pubertal process. This increase is brought about by coordinated changes that occur in neuronal and glial networks associated with GnRH neurons. These changes ultimately result in increased neuronal and glial stimulatory inputs to the GnRH neuronal network and a reduction of transsynaptic inhibitory influences. While some of the major players controlling pubertal GnRH secretion have been identified using gene-centric approaches, much less is known about the system-wide control of the overall process. Because the pubertal activation of GnRH release involves a diversity of cellular phenotypes, and a myriad of intracellular and cell-to-cell signaling molecules, it appears that the overall process is controlled by a highly coordinated and interactive regulatory system involving hundreds, if not thousands, of gene products. In this article we will discuss emerging evidence suggesting that these genes are arranged as functionally connected networks organized, both internally and across sub-networks, in a hierarchical fashion. According to this concept, the core of these networks is composed of transcriptional regulators that, by directing expression of downstream subordinate genes, provide both stability and coordination to the cellular networks involved in initiating the pubertal process. The integrative response of these gene networks to external inputs is postulated to be coordinated by epigenetic mechanisms.
AB - This article is part of a Special Issue "Puberty and Adolescence".Puberty is a major developmental milestone controlled by the interaction of genetic factors and environmental cues of mostly metabolic and circadian nature. An increased pulsatile release of the decapeptide gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) from hypothalamic neurosecretory neurons is required for both the initiation and progression of the pubertal process. This increase is brought about by coordinated changes that occur in neuronal and glial networks associated with GnRH neurons. These changes ultimately result in increased neuronal and glial stimulatory inputs to the GnRH neuronal network and a reduction of transsynaptic inhibitory influences. While some of the major players controlling pubertal GnRH secretion have been identified using gene-centric approaches, much less is known about the system-wide control of the overall process. Because the pubertal activation of GnRH release involves a diversity of cellular phenotypes, and a myriad of intracellular and cell-to-cell signaling molecules, it appears that the overall process is controlled by a highly coordinated and interactive regulatory system involving hundreds, if not thousands, of gene products. In this article we will discuss emerging evidence suggesting that these genes are arranged as functionally connected networks organized, both internally and across sub-networks, in a hierarchical fashion. According to this concept, the core of these networks is composed of transcriptional regulators that, by directing expression of downstream subordinate genes, provide both stability and coordination to the cellular networks involved in initiating the pubertal process. The integrative response of these gene networks to external inputs is postulated to be coordinated by epigenetic mechanisms.
KW - Female puberty
KW - Gene networks
KW - Glial-neuronal communication
KW - Hypothalamus
KW - Neuroendocrine control
KW - Neurotransmission
KW - Systems biology
KW - Transcriptional regulation
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U2 - 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.09.013
DO - 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.09.013
M3 - Review article
C2 - 23998662
AN - SCOPUS:84883373247
SN - 0018-506X
VL - 64
SP - 175
EP - 186
JO - Hormones and Behavior
JF - Hormones and Behavior
IS - 2
ER -