Kisspeptin-10 is the decapeptide Tyr-Asn-Trp-Asn-Ser-Phe-Gly-Leu-Arg-Phe-NH2: the last ten residues of kisspeptin-54, also called metastin, which is itself cut from the 145-residue product of the KISS1 gene. Its mass is 1302.5, its CAS number 374675-21-5, and it is the ligand of KISS1R, the G protein-coupled receptor that was an orphan called GPR54 until two papers in 2001 matched it to the kisspeptins. The ten-residue fragment is the shortest that keeps full activity at the receptor, which is why it is the form that is synthesised and sold. This post gives the sequence and its origin, the receptor and where it sits in the reproductive axis, the assays the peptide is characterised in, and the current certificate for the Kisspeptin-10 in the catalogue, supplied as a 10 mg lyophilized powder for laboratory research use only.
Where does the sequence come from?
| Name | What it is | Residues |
|---|---|---|
| KISS1 gene product | The precursor protein | 145 |
| Kisspeptin-54, metastin | The main secreted peptide, cut from the precursor | 54 |
| Kisspeptin-14, -13 | Shorter secreted forms sharing the C-terminus | 14, 13 |
| Kisspeptin-10 | The C-terminal decapeptide, residues 45 to 54 of kisspeptin-54 | 10 |
All the natural forms share the same C-terminal ten residues and the same C-terminal amide, and Kotani and colleagues showed in 2001 that the shortest of them, the decapeptide, activates the receptor as fully as the 54-residue parent. The sequence ends in Arg-Phe-NH2, which places kisspeptin in the RF-amide family of peptides; the amide is essential, and the Semax amidate post explains what a C-terminal amide does to a peptide in general. The sequence post covers the one-letter form, YNWNSFGLRF.
The gene was named for its original discovery as a metastasis suppressor in melanoma cell lines, which is why the parent peptide is called metastin and why the 2001 papers carry the word in their titles. The five-names post covers how a compound collects names like these.
What is the receptor?
KISS1R, formerly GPR54, a Gq-coupled G protein-coupled receptor. Kotani's group and Ohtaki's group independently reported in 2001 that the kisspeptins were its natural ligands, using the standard orphan-receptor approach: express the receptor in a cell line, screen tissue extracts for something that activates it, purify and sequence the active fraction. Both found the KISS1 peptides. The GPCR post explains what a Gq-coupled receptor does when activated, which for KISS1R is a rise in intracellular calcium through the phospholipase C pathway, and that rise is the readout most kisspeptin assays measure.
In the body the receptor is expressed on the hypothalamic neurons that release gonadotropin-releasing hormone, so kisspeptin sits one step upstream of GnRH, which sits upstream of the pituitary gonadotropins. That position is why the product page describes it as an entry point into the reproductive endocrine axis, and why it appears in the catalogue near sermorelin and the other hypothalamic-axis peptides. The receptor table lists KISS1R as its target.
Which assays is it characterised in?
Three, all at the receptor.
Calcium mobilisation. Cells expressing KISS1R, typically CHO or HEK lines, loaded with a calcium indicator; kisspeptin-10 produces a concentration-dependent calcium rise, with potency in the low nanomolar range in the 2001 papers. This is the standard functional assay.
Inositol phosphate accumulation. The same pathway one step earlier, measuring the phospholipase C product; slower but less prone to artefact.
Receptor binding. Displacement of a labelled kisspeptin from membranes expressing the receptor. The concentration-response post covers the design for all three, and the molarity post why the potency figures are in molar units.
What does the certificate report?
Lot KISS10-0528, certificate COA4862, issued by Bioviridian Inc. on 17 June 2026 against a 10 mg sample of white lyophilized powder, published unaltered on the certificate page.
| Certificate line | Result | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Identity, MALDI-MS | Kisspeptin, observed mass 1302.5 | The amidated decapeptide; the free-acid form would read 1303.5 and kisspeptin-54 about 5,900 |
| Content, HPLC quantitation | 10.05 mg | On label |
| Purity, RP-HPLC at 214 nm | 99.9% | One main peak |
| Endotoxin | < 0.05 EU/mL | Suitable for cell work |
| Heavy metals | Conforms | June 2026 layout |
| Sterility | Conforms | June 2026 layout; see the sterility post |
The one-unit difference between amide and free acid is at the edge of what MALDI resolves on its own, but a synthesis that produced the free acid would also show a different retention time on the purity chromatogram, and the chromatogram post explains how to read that.
How many molecules are in 10 mg?
| Vial | Moles | In 1 mL | In 2 mL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | 10 mg ÷ 1302.5 g/mol = 7.68 µmol | 7.68 mM | 3.84 mM |
For a receptor assay at 10 nM, a 3.84 mM stock is a dilution of about 1 in 400,000, made in two steps. At that dilution the peptide adsorbs to untreated plastic, so the final dilutions belong in assay buffer with a carrier protein. The vial-size post explains why 10 mg of a peptide used at nanomolar potency lasts a laboratory a long time.
How is it handled?
As a short amidated peptide with one tryptophan. It dissolves readily in water or reconstitution solution; the amide protects the C-terminus, the N-terminus is free and exposed to aminopeptidases in serum-containing medium, and the tryptophan argues for dark storage. Kisspeptin-10's half-life in plasma is minutes, which is a property of the sequence and one reason the in-vitro assays above are the setting it is characterised in. The reconstituted-lifetime post gives the storage windows.
Frequently asked questions
Is kisspeptin-10 the same as metastin?
No. Metastin is kisspeptin-54, the 54-residue secreted peptide. Kisspeptin-10 is its last ten residues, which carry the full receptor activity.
What is GPR54?
The former name of KISS1R, the receptor for the kisspeptins, given while it was an orphan receptor with no known ligand. The 2001 papers de-orphaned it.
Why does the sequence end in an amide?
Because the natural peptides do, and the RF-amide C-terminus is required for receptor activity. The certificate mass, 1302.5, is the amidated form.
Why does the certificate use MALDI-MS rather than LC-MS/MS?
Layout by issue date: June 2026 certificates in this catalogue use MALDI-MS and include sterility; August 2026 certificates use LC-MS/MS. Either confirms the mass.
What should the methods section record?
"Kisspeptin-10 (kisspeptin-54 residues 45 to 54, YNWNSFGLRF-NH2, CAS 374675-21-5)", the supplier, lot KISS10-0528, certificate COA4862, the observed mass, and the stock concentration in molar terms. The methods-section post has the template.
References
- Kotani M, Detheux M, Vandenbogaerde A, et al. The metastasis suppressor gene KiSS-1 encodes kisspeptins, the natural ligands of the orphan G protein-coupled receptor GPR54. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2001;276(37):34631-34636. doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M104847200
- Ohtaki T, Shintani Y, Honda S, et al. Metastasis suppressor gene KiSS-1 encodes peptide ligand of a G-protein-coupled receptor. Nature 2001;411(6837):613-617. doi.org/10.1038/35079135
- PubChem, National Library of Medicine. Kisspeptin-10, CID 25240297, C63H83N17O14, 1302.4 g/mol, CAS 374675-21-5. Read 28 September 2026. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/25240297
- Bioviridian Inc. Certificate of analysis COA4862, Kisspeptin 10 mg, lot KISS10-0528, issued 17 June 2026. coa.html
Every product mentioned is sold for laboratory research use only and is not for human or animal use. Nothing on this page describes or recommends use of the material sold here in humans or animals.
