Gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (Gnrhr) gene knock out: normal growth and development of sensory, motor and spatial orientation behavior but altered metabolism in neonatal and prepubertal mice

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is important in the control of reproduction, but its actions in non-reproductive processes are less well known. In this study we examined the effect of disrupting the GnRH receptor in mice to determine if growth, metabolism or behaviors that are not associated with reproduction were affected. To minimize the effects of other hormones such as FSH, LH and sex steroids, the neonatal-prepubertal period of 2 to 28 days of age was selected. The study shows that regardless of sex or phenotype in the Gnrhr gene knockout line, there was no significant difference in the daily development of motor control, sensory detection or spatial orientation among the wildtype, heterozygous or null mice. This included a series of behavioral tests for touch, vision, hearing, spatial orientation, locomotory behavior and muscle strength. Neither the daily body weight nor the final weight on day 28 of the kidney, liver and thymus relative to body weight varied significantly i...

促性腺激素释放激素（Gonadotropin-releasing hormone，GnRH）在生殖调控过程中发挥关键作用，但其在非生殖生理过程中的功能尚未被充分阐明。本研究通过构建GnRH受体敲除小鼠模型，探究该受体缺失对与生殖无关的生长、代谢及行为是否存在影响。为尽可能排除促卵泡激素（Follicle-stimulating hormone，FSH）、黄体生成素（Luteinizing hormone，LH）及性类固醇等其他激素的干扰，我们选取了2至28日龄的新生-青春期前阶段作为实验窗口期。研究结果表明，无论Gnrhr基因敲除系小鼠的性别或表型如何，野生型（wildtype）、杂合子（heterozygous）及纯合敲除小鼠（null mice）在运动控制、感觉检测与空间定向的日常发育水平上均无显著差异。相关行为学测试涵盖触觉、视觉、听觉、空间定向、运动行为及肌肉力量等多项指标。小鼠的每日体重，以及第28日龄时肾脏、肝脏与胸腺的脏器体重比均未出现显著变化（原文后续内容未完整呈现）。