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Minireview: Timely Ovulation: Circadian Regulation of the Female Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis

Department of Biology (H.O.d.l.I.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1800; and Department of Neurology (W.J.S.), University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Horacio O. de la Iglesia, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Box 351800, Seattle, Washington 98195-1800. E-mail: horaciod{at}u.washington.edu.

The preovulatory surge in the secretion of LH is timed by a neuroendocrine integrative mechanism that involves ovarian estradiol levels and the endogenous circadian system. Studies in female rats and hamsters have established that the clock in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus has a preeminent role in setting the LH surge, and anatomical, physiological, and pharmacological data are revealing the responsible connections between suprachiasmatic nucleus neurons and GnRH and estradiol-receptive areas. Recent investigations show that GnRH and pituitary cells express circadian clock genes that might play a role in the release and reception of the GnRH signal. Analysis of the circadian regulation of the LH surge may provide a model for understanding how multiple neural oscillators function within other neuroendocrine axes.

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