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Kisspeptin

Kisspeptin-10 is a peptide of 10 amino acids, the last section of a natural 54-amino-acid peptide called kisspeptin.

Where it came from

The KiSS-1 gene was discovered in 1996 by Danny Welch's group at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

The full peptide, 54 amino acids long, was isolated from placenta in 2001 by Tetsuya Ohtaki and colleagues at the Japanese company Takeda, who matched it to a receptor, a docking site on cells, that had no known partner until then.

Worth knowing

• The name is a nod to Hershey's Kisses chocolates, because the gene was found in Hershey. The "SS" also stands for suppressor sequence.
• Takeda first named it metastin; it was later renamed kisspeptin after its gene.
• Kisspeptin-10 is the last 10 building blocks of the full 54. Every kisspeptin ends in the same two building blocks, arginine and phenylalanine, a signature shared by a whole family of peptides.

At a glance

Weight is shown in grams per mole (g/mol), the standard unit chemists use. It's the number a lab checks a sample against to confirm it's the right compound.

Lab reports

Every batch (called a lot) of Kisspeptin is tested by an independent lab. The report shows the lab, the test date, the lot number, how pure the sample is and how much is in the vial. Find them on the Certificates of Analysis page. New to lab reports? Start with How to read a peptide lab report.

The weight above is for the compound on its own. A report may show a slightly higher figure, because the powder also carries a little salt left from manufacturing. Peptide salt forms explains why.

Storage

Keep the vial sealed in a freezer at -20 °C, away from light, and let it warm to room temperature before opening so moisture doesn't get in. More in Storing lyophilized (freeze-dried) peptides in the lab and the Research handling guidelines.

For research use only. Not for human or veterinary use.