The upstream gatekeeper that gates GnRH pulse generation. Structurally it is RF-amide peptide (KISS1 products, e.g. kisspeptin-54/10).

How strong is the evidence for Kisspeptin?

PeptideHormone grades Kisspeptin at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an endogenous signal the body produces itself, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.

What is the half-life of Kisspeptin?

The reported circulating half-life of Kisspeptin is ~4–30 min (by fragment).

Kisspeptin

The upstream gatekeeper that gates GnRH pulse generation.

EndogenousEstablished

The gate above the gate. Finding it rewrote where the reproductive axis was thought to begin.

Identity

Class: RF-amide peptide (KISS1 products, e.g. kisspeptin-54/10)
Source: Hypothalamus (KNDy and AVPV neurons)
Receptor: KISS1R (formerly GPR54)

Key properties

Evidence floorClinicalREF1CLIN1

Molecular weight

≈ 1,302.5 Da

REF

Half-life (native)

~4–30 min (by fragment)

CLIN

Model dosing

Approximate values for the native hormone; engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting. Each figure carries its own provenance tier, and the floor is the weakest of them - the Standard.

Mechanism

Kisspeptin neurons act upstream of GnRH, providing the excitatory drive that gates GnRH pulse generation. Their discovery reframed how the reproductive axis is switched on at puberty and tuned across the cycle.

Reference notes

Loss-of-function in KISS1R causes failure to enter puberty — the finding that revealed the pathway.
Kisspeptin is now seen as a key gatekeeper sitting above GnRH.
It integrates metabolic and steroid-feedback signals into the reproductive axis.

Common questions

What is Kisspeptin?: The upstream gatekeeper that gates GnRH pulse generation. Structurally it is RF-amide peptide (KISS1 products, e.g. kisspeptin-54/10).
How does Kisspeptin work?: Kisspeptin neurons act upstream of GnRH, providing the excitatory drive that gates GnRH pulse generation. Their discovery reframed how the reproductive axis is switched on at puberty and tuned across the cycle.
How strong is the evidence for Kisspeptin?: PeptideHormone grades Kisspeptin at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an endogenous signal the body produces itself, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.
What is the half-life of Kisspeptin?: The reported circulating half-life of Kisspeptin is ~4–30 min (by fragment).

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.The Role of Kisspeptin in the Control of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis and Reproduction · Frontiers in endocrinology, 2022 · PMID 35837314
2.Pubertal development and regulation · The lancet. Diabetes & endocrinology, 2016 · PMID 26852256

External references

Kisspeptin in the public knowledge graph — the same entity resolved across the authoritative chemistry and protein databases.