Kisspeptin-10
Also known as KP-10, metastin fragment 45-54, KISS1 decapeptide
Kisspeptin-10 is the C-terminal decapeptide of the KISS1 protein and the natural ligand for GPR54 (KISS1R), studied as an upstream signal in HPG-axis research. A research-use profile.
Kisspeptin-10 is best understood not as a stand-alone molecule but as a node in a signaling cascade. It is the shortest fully active fragment of the KISS1 gene product, and its research relevance is entirely about position: it sits at the top of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, upstream of the machinery most reproductive-endocrinology work studies.
This page describes that signaling role and the receptor it binds. It stays away from outcomes and use — kisspeptin biology is an active research question, and the interesting thing here is the pathway, not any promised effect.
The biologically active C-terminal decapeptide of the KISS1 gene product (kisspeptin-54 / metastin). The C-terminal Arg-Phe motif places it in the RFamide peptide family and is the recognition element for its receptor.
The KISS1 / GPR54 signaling axis
Kisspeptin-10 is the natural ligand for GPR54, the receptor now more commonly written as KISS1R. That receptor is a G-protein-coupled receptor, and the kisspeptin–KISS1R interaction is studied as one of the upstream gatekeepers of the HPG axis: kisspeptin signaling is positioned before the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, which is why researchers describe it as sitting at the very top of the cascade.
The value of the ten-residue fragment specifically is that it retains full receptor recognition despite being far shorter than the parent kisspeptin-54. That makes KP-10 a clean tool for probing KISS1R signaling without the additional structure of the full-length peptide.
Where the sequence comes from
The KISS1 gene encodes a larger precursor that is processed into kisspeptin-54 (also historically called metastin). Kisspeptin-10 corresponds to the C-terminal ten amino acids of that molecule — residues 45 through 54 of the precursor — and ends in the Arg-Phe-amide motif that defines the RFamide peptide family.
That terminal Arg-Phe motif is the part the receptor reads. It is a useful landmark when comparing a certificate of analysis, because the recognition element is at the tail of the chain rather than buried in the middle.
Reading a Kisspeptin-10 certificate of analysis
As a defined decapeptide, KP-10 should show a mass-spectrometry value consistent with a ten-residue amidated peptide and a dominant single HPLC peak. Purity claims without a stated method or a batch number are weaker than they look. Match any lot to its own certificate by batch identifier.
These are research areas the compound is associated with in the literature — not medical claims or intended uses.
Handling & storage
Supplied lyophilized. Kept sealed and cold; in research settings it is reconstituted with bacteriostatic water only when a protocol requires it, then refrigerated. Handle per accepted laboratory practice.
Verify a certificate by lot →Common questions
It is the natural ligand for GPR54, also known as KISS1R, a G-protein-coupled receptor studied as an upstream regulator of the HPG axis.
Kisspeptin-10 is the C-terminal ten-amino-acid fragment of kisspeptin-54 (metastin). It is the shortest fragment that retains full receptor recognition.
Its chain ends in an Arg-Phe-amide motif, the defining feature of the RFamide peptide family and the element its receptor recognizes.
This monograph is a research-use reference. It describes composition and the contexts in which the compound has been studied — it is not medical advice, a description of effects, or a recommendation for use. Sold strictly for laboratory and research use; not for human or animal consumption.