PeptideHormone

Gonadotropin-releasing hormoneGnRH

The pulsatile hypothalamic driver of the reproductive axis.

EndogenousEstablishedCompare lineage

Identity

Class
Decapeptide (10 aa)
Source
Hypothalamus (GnRH neurons)
Receptor
GnRH receptor (GnRHR), a class A GPCR

Key properties

Molecular weight
~1,182.3 Da
Half-life (native)
~2–4 min
Model dosing

Approximate values for the native hormone. Engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting.

Mechanism

GnRH is released in pulses that drive the anterior pituitary to secrete LH and FSH. Pulse frequency encodes the signal: pulsatile delivery stimulates the axis, while continuous exposure desensitizes the receptor and paradoxically suppresses it.

Reference notes

  • Pulse frequency, not just amount, is the information GnRH carries.
  • Continuous GnRH-agonist exposure suppresses the axis via receptor desensitization — the basis of agonist 'down-regulation'.
  • It sits at the top of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis.

Selected literature

Curated peer-reviewed reviews, sourced from PubMed. Selected for relevance, not exhaustive — open any entry on PubMed for the full record and its primary citations.

  1. 1.The role of gonadotropin releasing hormone in normal and pathologic endocrine processes · Current opinion in endocrinology, diabetes, and obesity, 2007 · PMID 17940457
  2. 2.Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and its natural analogues: a review · Theriogenology, 2006 · PMID 16650469