Increasing levels of circulating estradiol during the follicular phase of the ovarian cycle act
on the brain to trigger a sudden and massive release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone
(GnRH) that evokes the pituitary luteinizing hormone surge responsible for ovulation in
mammals. The mechanisms through which estrogen is able to exert this potent “positive
feedback” influence upon the GnRH neurons are beginning to be unravelled. Recent studies
utilizing mouse models with global and cell-specific deletions of the different estrogen …