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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 291/5/E878    most recent 00555.2005v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (7) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Dhillo, W. S. Articles by Bloom, S. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dhillo, W. S. Articles by Bloom, S. R.

Plasma kisspeptin is raised in patients with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia and falls during treatment

¹Department of Metabolic Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital; and ²Department of Medical Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom

Submitted 14 November 2005 ; accepted in final form 1 June 2006

Kisspeptin is a 54-amino acid peptide, encoded by the anti-metastasis gene KiSS-1, that activates G protein-coupled receptor 54 (GPR54). The kisspeptin-GPR54 system is critical to normal reproductive development. KiSS-1 gene expression is increased in the human placenta in normal and molar pregnancies. Circulating kisspeptin is dramatically increased in normal pregnancy, but levels in GTN have not previously been reported. The present study was designed to determine whether plasma kisspeptin levels are altered in patients with malignant GTN. Thirty-nine blood samples were taken from 11 patients with malignant GTN at presentation during and after chemotherapy. Blood was also sampled from nonpregnant and pregnant volunteers. Plasma kisspeptin IR and hCG concentrations were measured. Plasma kisspeptin IR concentration in nonpregnant (n = 16) females was <2 pmol/l. Plasma kisspeptin IR in females was 803 ± 125 pmol/l in the first trimester of pregnancy (n = 13), 2,483 ± 302 pmol/l in the third trimester of pregnancy (n = 7), and <2 pmol/l on day 15 postpartum (n = 7). Plasma kisspeptin IR and hCG concentrations in patients with malignant GTN were elevated at presentation and fell during and after treatment with chemotherapy in each patient (mean plasma kisspeptin IR: prechemotherapy 1,363 ± 1,076 pmol/l vs. post-chemotherapy <2 pmol/l, P < 0.0001; mean plasma hCG: prechemotherapy 227,191 ± 152,354 U/l vs. postchemotherapy 2 U/l, P < 0.0001). Plasma kisspeptin IR strongly positively correlated with plasma hCG levels (r² = 0.99, P < 0.0001). Our results suggest that measurement of plasma kisspeptin IR may be a novel tumor marker in patients with malignant GTN.

metastin; human chorionic gonadotropin; G protein-coupled receptor 54

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				R. Ramachandran, M. Patterson, K. G. Murphy, W. S. Dhillo, S. Patel, A. Kazarian, M. A. Ghatei, and S. R. Bloom Preanalytical Factors Affecting RIA Measurement of Plasma Kisspeptin Clin. Chem., March 1, 2008; 54(3): 615 - 617. [Full Text] [PDF]