Characterization of GnRH Pulse Generator Activity in Male Mice Using GCaMP Fiber Photometry

The pulsatile release of luteinizing hormone (LH) is critical for mammalian fertility. However, despite several decades of investigation, the identity of the neuronal network generating pulsatile reproductive hormone secretion remains unproven. We use here a variety of optogenetic approaches in freely behaving mice to evaluate the role of the arcuate nucleus kisspeptin (ARNKISS) neurons in LH pulse generation. Using GCaMP6 fiber photometry, we find that the ARNKISS neuron population exhibits brief (∼1 min) synchronized episodes of calcium activity occurring as frequently as every 9 min in gonadectomized mice. These ARNKISS population events were found to be near-perfectly correlated with pulsatile LH secretion. The selective optogenetic activation of ARNKISS neurons for 1 min generated pulses of LH in freely behaving mice, whereas inhibition with archaerhodopsin for 30 min suppressed LH pulsatility. Experiments aimed at resetting the activity of the ARNKISS neuron population with halorhodopsin were found to reset ongoing LH pulsatility. These observations indicate the ARNKISS neurons as the long-elusive hypothalamic pulse generator driving fertility.

Current methodology to monitor pulsatile LH release in mice is limited by inadequate assay sensitivity, resulting in the need for collection of large blood volumes. Thus, assessment of pulsatile LH secretion in mice remains highly challenging, and observations are limited to adult mice. To address this, we developed a highly sensitive ELISA for assessment of mouse LH concentrations in small fractions of whole blood. We demonstrate that this assay is capable of reliably detecting LH down to a theoretical limit of 0.117 ng/mL in a 2-μL fraction of whole blood. Using an established frequent blood collection procedure, we validated the accuracy of this method by determining the pulsatile LH secretion in early-adult (10 weeks old) C57BL6/J male mice. Data demonstrate regular pulsatile release of LH, with peaks in LH secretion rarely exceeding 3 ng/mL. Moreover, assessment of LH release in Gpr54 knockout mice demonstrates the lack of pulsatile LH release after the loss of kisspeptin-mediated pubertal maturation. We next determined age-associated changes in pulsatile LH secretion by assessment of LH secretion in prepubertal (28 days old) C57BL6/J male mice and repeated assessment in the same mice in adulthood (120 days old). Data demonstrate that the rise in total LH secretion in mice after pubertal maturation occurs along with an overall rise in the pulsatile LH secretion rate. This was coupled with a significant increase in the number of LH secretory events (number of pulses). In addition, we observed a decrease in the clearance (increased half-life) and a decrease in the regularity (approximate entropy) of LH release. This method will be of wide general utility within the field of reproductive biology.