Substantial progress has been made in recent years toward deciphering the molecular and genetic underpinnings of the pubertal process. The availability of powerful new methods to interrogate the human genome has led to the identification of genes that are essential for puberty to occur. Evidence has also emerged suggesting that the initiation of puberty requires the coordinated activity of gene sets organized into functional networks. At a cellular level, it is currently thought that loss of transsynaptic inhibition, accompanied by an increase in excitatory inputs, results in the pubertal activation of GnRH release. This concept notwithstanding, a mechanism of epigenetic repression targeting genes required for the pubertal activation of GnRH neurons was recently identified as a core component of the molecular machinery underlying the central restraint of puberty. In this chapter we will discuss the potential contribution of various mechanisms of epigenetic regulation to the hypothalamic control of female puberty.

中文翻译：

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女性青春期的表观遗传调控

近年来，在破译青春期过程的分子和遗传基础方面取得了重大进展。询问人类基因组的强大新方法的可用性已经导致对青春期发生必不可少的基因的鉴定。也有证据表明青春期的开始需要组织成功能网络的基因组的协调活动。在细胞水平上，目前认为跨突触抑制的丧失，伴随着兴奋性输入的增加，导致 GnRH 释放的青春期激活。尽管有这个概念，最近，一种表观遗传抑制机制被确定为青春期中枢抑制的分子机制的核心组成部分，该机制针对 GnRH 神经元青春期激活所需的基因。在本章中，我们将讨论各种表观遗传调控机制对女性青春期下丘脑控制的潜在贡献。