PACAP: A regulator of mammalian reproductive function.

Mol Cell Endocrinol

Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA; Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA.

Published: December 2020

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is an ancestral molecule that was isolated from sheep hypothalamic extracts based on its action to stimulate cAMP production by pituitary cell cultures. PACAP is one of a number of ligands that coordinate with GnRH to control reproduction. While initially viewed as a hypothalamic releasing factor, PACAP and its receptors are widely distributed, and there is growing evidence that PACAP functions as a paracrine/autocrine regulator in the CNS, pituitary, gonads and placenta, among other tissues. This review will summarize current knowledge concerning the expression and function of PACAP in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis with special emphasis on its role in pituitary function in the fetus and newborn.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7606562PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mce.2020.110912DOI Listing

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