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Various cytokines produced during the immune reaction can modulate the neuroendocrine reproductive axis, probably by inducing changes in the activity of hypothalamic GnRH neurons. However, the precise cellular and molecular effects of cytokines on these neurons have not been reported yet. To gain a better insight into these regulations, we first examined the pattern of expression of cytokine receptors in a novel neuronal cell line expressing GnRH (Gnv-4 cells). Among others, gp130 is expressed in Gnv-4 cells, together with the ligand receptor subunits specific for IL-6 as well as oncostatin M (OSM). Consistent with the latter observation, we show that OSM stimulates the expression of the immediate early genes c-fos and early growth response-1 in Gnv-4 cells, an effect dependent upon the activation of the MAPK Erk1/2 intracellular signaling pathway. Functional studies performed in parallel in Gnv-4 cells and …