INVITED COMMENTARY Multiple regulatory elements in the human GnRH receptor gene

The reproductive hormone cascade is of critical importance to the survival of vertebrates. Thus it is finely tuned to respond appropriately to environmental influences (e.g. photoperiod, temperature, nutrition) and internal signals of organ function (e.g. gonadal steroids and peptides, leptin, thyroid hormone). It has become increasingly apparent that the activity of the reproductive hormone cascade is regulated at a multiplicity of levels and through diverse molecular mechanisms. These include regulation of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) gene expression, proGnRH processing and possibly degradation, GnRH secretion, gonadotrophin gene expression, post-translational pro-cessing of gonadotrophin (glycosylation), and expression and post-transcriptional processing (alternative splicing