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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2023 Feb 1.
Published in final edited form as: Reproduction. 2023 Jan 4;165(2):R61–R74. doi: 10.1530/REP-22-0303

Figure 2.

Figure 2.

Activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis during puberty. 1) Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) production is stimulated by kisspeptin secreted from neurons in the hypothalamus. 2) GnRH induces pituitary gonadotrope cells to produce and secrete the gonadotropins, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). 3) In males, LH signaling in testicular Leydig cells results in testosterone production, while in females LH stimulates testosterone production in ovarian theca cells, which is then converted to estrogen in granulosa cells by aromatase. 4A) Testosterone exerts negative feedback in the hypothalamus and pituitary, while 4B) estrogen exerts both negative and positive feedback. 5) Sex steroids may directly or indirectly modulate the gut microbiome to be sexually dimorphic. Created with BioRender.com.