GHRL Small Molecule – Ghrelin

This gene encodes the ghrelin-obestatin preproprotein that is cleaved to yield two peptides, ghrelin and obestatin. Ghrelin is a powerful appetite stimulant and plays an important role in energy homeostasis. Its secretion is initiated when the stomach is empty, whereupon it binds to the growth hormone secretagogue receptor in the hypothalamus which results in the secretion of growth hormone (somatotropin). Ghrelin is thought to regulate multiple activities, including hunger, reward perception via the mesolimbic pathway, gastric acid secretion, gastrointestinal motility, and pancreatic glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. It was initially proposed that obestatin plays an opposing role to ghrelin by promoting satiety and thus decreasing food intake, but this action is still debated. Recent reports suggest multiple metabolic roles for obestatin, including regulating adipocyte function and glucose metabolism. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. In addition, antisense transcripts for this gene have been identified and may potentially regulate ghrelin-obestatin preproprotein expression. [provided by RefSeq, Nov 2014]

ghrelin: a hormone that binds to the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1 (GHSR). Secreted by the stomach

Protein type: Apoptosis; Cell cycle regulation; Cell development/differentiation; Secreted; Secreted, signal peptide

Chromosomal Location of Human Ortholog: 3p25.3

Cellular Component: axon; endoplasmic reticulum lumen; extracellular region; extracellular space

Molecular Function: G-protein-coupled receptor binding; ghrelin receptor binding; growth hormone-releasing hormone activity; protein binding; protein tyrosine kinase activator activity

Biological Process: actin polymerization and/or depolymerization; activation of MAPK activity; adult feeding behavior; decidualization; dendrite development; elevation of cytosolic calcium ion concentration; G-protein coupled receptor protein signaling pathway; gastric acid secretion; growth hormone secretion; hormone-mediated signaling; negative regulation of apoptosis; negative regulation of circadian sleep/wake cycle, REM sleep; negative regulation of endothelial cell proliferation; negative regulation of inflammatory response; negative regulation of interleukin-1 beta production; negative regulation of interleukin-6 biosynthetic process; negative regulation of tumor necrosis factor biosynthetic process; positive regulation of adrenocorticotropic hormone secretion; positive regulation of appetite; positive regulation of circadian sleep/wake cycle, non-REM sleep; positive regulation of cortisol secretion; positive regulation of growth hormone secretion; positive regulation of insulin secretion; positive regulation of multicellular organism growth; positive regulation of synaptogenesis; regulation of cell proliferation; regulation of response to food; response to estrogen stimulus; response to hormone stimulus

Disease: Obesity