Overview
Kisspeptin is a neuropeptide encoded by the KISS1 gene, originally identified in 1996 as a melanoma metastasis suppressor and re-characterized in 2003 as the obligate ligand of the KISS1R / GPR54 receptor and the primary gatekeeper of pubertal GnRH activation. The decapeptide Kisspeptin-10 retains the C-terminal RFamide motif required for receptor binding and is the most widely used research form.
Across investigative literature, Kisspeptin has been studied for its role in GnRH neuron depolarization via Gq/11-PLC-IP₃ signaling, downstream LH and FSH release, and modulation of metabolic and circadian inputs to the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Investigators at Imperial College London have published a sustained series of clinical studies examining gonadotropin response, oocyte-maturation triggering in IVF models, and limbic-network activation by fMRI — representing some of the deepest human research available for any peptide in this category.

