Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) activates the m-current in GnRH neurons: an autoregulatory negative feedback mechanism?

ABSTRACT: GnRH autoregulates GnRH neurons through an ultrashort feedback loop. One potential mechanism is the regulation of K(+) channel activity through the GnRH receptor. Whereas GnRH inhibits the activity of the M-current in peripheral neurons, there is no direct evidence that the M-current is involved in the autoregulatory pathway of GnRH or if the M-current is expressed in GnRH neurons. The M-current is a noninactivating, subthreshold K(+) current that inhibits cell excitability and is ubiquitously expressed in the central nervous system. We found that GnRH neurons expressed the neuronal M-current subunits, KCNQ2, -3, and -5 in addition to GnRH receptor (GnRH R1). Therefore, using whole-cell patch clamp recording and single-cell RT-PCR, we explored the effects of mammalian GnRH peptide on enhan

SUBMITTER: Xu C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2329261 | biostudies-literature | 2008 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature