RESEARCH ARTICLE High-frequency stimulation-induced peptide release synchronizes arcuate kisspeptin neurons and excites GnRH neurons Jian Qiu1*†, Casey C Nestor1†, Chunguang Zhang1, Stephanie L Padilla2, Richard D Palmiter2, Martin J Kelly1,3*‡, Oline K Rønnekleiv1,3*‡ 1Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, United States; 2Department of Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, United States; 3Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, United States Abstract Kisspeptin (Kiss1) and neurokinin B (NKB) neurocircuits are essential for pubertal development and fertility. Kisspeptin neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (Kiss1ARH) co- express Kiss1, NKB, dynorphin and glutamate and are postulated to provide an episodic, excitatory drive to gonadotropin-releasing hormone 1 (GnRH) neurons, the synaptic mechanisms of which are unknown. We characterized the cellular basis for synchronized Kiss1ARH neuronal activity using optogenetics, whole-cell electrophysiology, molecular pharmacology and single cell RT-PCR in mice. High-frequency photostimulation of Kiss1ARH neurons evoked local release of excitatory *For correspondence: qiuj@ohsu. (NKB) and inhibitory (dynorphin) neuropeptides, which were found to synchronize the Kiss1ARH edu (JQ);
[email protected] (MJK); neuronal firing. The light-evoked synchronous activity caused robust excitation of GnRH neurons by
[email protected] (OKR) a synaptic mechanism that also involved glutamatergic input to preoptic Kiss1 neurons from †These authors contributed Kiss1ARH neurons. We propose that Kiss1ARH neurons play a dual role of driving episodic secretion equally to this work of GnRH through the differential release of peptide and amino acid neurotransmitters to ‡ These authors also contributed coordinate reproductive function.