Fertility-regulating kiss1 neurons arise from hypothalamic pomc-expressing progenitors

Abstract

Hypothalamic neuronal populations are central regulators of energy homeostasis and reproductive function. However, the ontogeny of these critical hypothalamic neuronal populations is largely unknown. We developed a novel approach to examine the developmental pathwaysthat linkspecificsubtypesof neuronsbycombiningembryonicandadult ribosome-taggingstrategiesinmice. This newmethod showsthat Pomc-expressingprecursorsnot onlydifferentiateintodiscreteneuronal populations that mediateenergybalance(POMCand AgRP neurons), but also into neurons critical for puberty onset and the regulation of reproductive function (Kiss1 neurons). These results demonstrate a developmental link between nutrient-sensing and reproductive neuropeptide synthesizing neuronal populations and suggest a potential pathway that could link maternal nutrition to reproductive development in the offspring.