Dr Jeremy T. Smith

ARC Future Fellow - Department of Physiology

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Background:

Dr Jeremy Smith began his research career in the School of Anatomy and Human Biology at The University of Western Australia, where he was awarded First Class Honours in 1998. He went on to complete his PhD – on the satiety hormone leptin and its role in reproduction– under the supervision of Professor Brendan Waddell and was awarded Distinction in 2004. In 2003, Dr Smith was awarded a NICHD U54 Cooperative Contraceptive Research Centers Fellowship (US) and began work as a post-doctoral researcher with Professor Robert Steiner at the University of Washington. Here, Jeremy worked extensively on kisspeptin, a novel neuropeptide, vital in the neuroendocrine control of GnRH secretion and reproductive function. In 2006, Dr Smith was awarded a NHMRC Biomedical (Peter Doherty) Fellowship and returned to Australia to work with Professor Iain Clarke at the Department of Physiology, Monash University. Jeremy is further funded by a Monash University, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Strategic Grant as well as being the inaugural recipient of the Endocrine Society of Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Research Interests:

Jeremy’s work represents an exciting new field of neuroendocrinology. The recent discovery of mice and humans lacking the receptor GPR54 and their infertile phenotype has sparked scientists to explore the actions of kisspeptin, the endogenous neuropeptide ligand for GPR54. Jeremy’s research hopes to provide significant advancement to our knowledge of kisspeptin and its critical role in stimulating GnRH and gonadotrophin release. In particular, Jeremy has utilised unique ovine models to interrogate the precise role of kisspeptin in reproductive function.

Scholarships and Grants:

1999:   Australian Postgraduate Award with Stipend

2003:   NICHD U54 Cooperative Contraceptive Research Centers Fellowship (US)

2006:   NHMRC Biomedical (Peter Doherty) Fellowship

2007:   Monash University, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Strategic Grant Scheme

2007:   Endocrine Society of Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship (Inaugural recipient)

Recent Publications:

1. Smith JT, Coolen LM, Kriegsfeld LJ, Sari IP, Jaafarzadehshirazi MR, Maltby M, Bateman K, Goodman RL, Tilbrook AJ, Bentley GE, Clarke IJ, Lehman MN (2008) Variation in kisspeptin and gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone expression and terminal connections to GnRH neurons in the brain: possible medium for seasonal breeding in the sheep. Endocrinology In Press.

2. Clarke IJ, Sari IP, Yue Q, Smith JT, Parkington H, Ubuka T, Iqbal J, Li Q, Tilbrook A, Morgan K, Pawson A, Tsutsui K, Millar RP, Bentley GE (2008) Potent action of RFRP-3 on pituitary gonadotropes indicative of an hypophysiotropic role in the negative regulation of gonadotropin secretion. Endocrinology In Press.

3. Smith JT, Rao A, Pereira A, Caraty A, Millar RP, Clarke IJ (2008) Kisspeptin is present in ovine hypophysial portal blood, but does not increase during the preovulatory luteinizing hormone surge: Evidence that gonadotropes are not direct targets of kisspeptin in vivo. Endocrinology 149: 1951-1959.

4. Smith JT (2008) Kisspeptin signalling in the brain: Steroid regulation in the rodent and ewe. Brain Res Rev 57:288-298.

5. Goodman RL, Lehman MN, Smith JT, Coolen LM, DeOliveira CVR, Jaafarzadehshirazi MR, Pereira A, Iqbal J, Caraty A, Ciofi P, Clarke IJ (2007) Kisspeptin neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the ewe express both dynorphin A and neurokinin B. Endocrinology 148:5752-5760.

6. Caraty A, Smith JT, Lomet D, Ben Saïd S, Morrissey A, Cognie J, Doughton B, Baril G, Briant C, Clarke IJ (2007) Kisspeptin synchronizes preovulatory surges in cyclic ewes and causes ovulation in seasonally acyclic ewes. Endocrinology 148:5258-5267.

7. Smith JT, Clarke IJ (2007) Kisspeptin expression in the brain: Catalyst for the initiation of puberty. Rev Endocr Metab 8:1-9.

8. Smith JT, Clay CM, Caraty, A, Clarke IJ (2007) KiSS-1 mRNA expression in the brain of the ewe is regulated by sex steroids and season. Endocrinology 148:1150-1157.

9. Estrada KM, Clay CM, Pompolo S, Smith JT, Clarke IJ (2006) Elevated KiSS-1 expression in the arcuate nucleus prior to the cyclic preovulatory gonadotrophin-releasing hormone/lutenising hormone surge in the ewe suggests a stimulatory role for kisspeptin in oestrogen-positive feedback. Journal of Neuroendocrinology 18:806-809.

10. Smith JT, Popa SM, Clifton DK, Hoffman GE, Steiner RA (2006) Kiss1 neurons in the forebrain as central processors for generating the preovulatory LH surge. Journal of Neuroscience 26:6687-6694.

11. Smith JT, Clifton DK, Steiner RA (2006) Regulation of the neuroendocrine reproductive axis by kisspeptin-GPR54 signaling. Reproduction 131:623-630.