Researchers report that undernutrition enhanced levels of the enzyme AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the hypothalamus of female rodents, delaying the onset of puberty; overexpression of an active form of AMPK in parts of the hypothalamus harboring puberty-activating Kiss1 neurons also delayed puberty onset, suggesting that the AMPK signaling pathway may be a potential pharmacological target for delayed puberty in conditions tied to metabolic stress, according to the authors.
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Article #18-02053: "Metabolic regulation of female puberty via hypothalamic AMPK-kisspeptin signaling," by Juan Roa et al.
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences