Puberty is a developmental process required across species to become reproductively functional. The timing of puberty varies greatly in the general population, differs between boys and girls, and is associated with several adverse health outcomes in adult life. Puberty initiates with an increased release of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus, triggering a cascade of events leading to pituitary-gonadal maturation. Its timing is affected by environmental and genetic factors, with approximately 50–80% of the variation being attributed to genetic background. Genetic studies of pubertal diseases, such as isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, Kallmann syndrome, and precocious puberty, have revealed important neuroendocrine regulators of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. In addition to puberty-related disease genes, over 100 genomic loci associated with variation in pubertal timing have been identified by genome-wide association studies. The basic mechanisms responsible for the normal differences observed in pubertal timing in the general population are largely unknown.
Given the importance of genetic, epigenetic, and molecular mechanisms in the regulation of puberty, this research topic aims to collect original research, including clinical, translational, as well as molecular studies, review articles, and clinical trials on a range of topics related to puberty.
Puberty is a developmental process required across species to become reproductively functional. The timing of puberty varies greatly in the general population, differs between boys and girls, and is associated with several adverse health outcomes in adult life. Puberty initiates with an increased release of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus, triggering a cascade of events leading to pituitary-gonadal maturation. Its timing is affected by environmental and genetic factors, with approximately 50–80% of the variation being attributed to genetic background. Genetic studies of pubertal diseases, such as isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, Kallmann syndrome, and precocious puberty, have revealed important neuroendocrine regulators of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. In addition to puberty-related disease genes, over 100 genomic loci associated with variation in pubertal timing have been identified by genome-wide association studies. The basic mechanisms responsible for the normal differences observed in pubertal timing in the general population are largely unknown.
Given the importance of genetic, epigenetic, and molecular mechanisms in the regulation of puberty, this research topic aims to collect original research, including clinical, translational, as well as molecular studies, review articles, and clinical trials on a range of topics related to puberty.
