Ghrelin, des-acyl ghrelin and obestatin: Three pieces of the same puzzle

• Type: Another Publication in an International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2008

Authors

Soares, JB (Author) Other; Leite-Moreira AF (Author) FMUP

Journal

Title: Peptides

Vol. 29 No. 7

Pages: 1255-1270

ISSN: 0196-9781

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 154 Citations

Scopus - 162 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-003-YA0

DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2008.02.018

Abstract (EN): The major active product of ghrelin gene is a 28-amino acid peptide acylated at the serine 3 position with an octanoyl group, called simply ghrelin. Ghrelin has a multiplicity of physiological functions, affecting GH release, food intake, energy and glucose homeostasis, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, pulmonary and immune function, cell proliferation and differentiation and bone physiology. Nevertheless, recent developments have shown that ghrelin gene can generate various bioactive molecules besides ghrelin, mainly des-acyl ghrelin and obestatin, obtained from alternative splicing or from extensive post-translational modification. Although their receptors have not yet been identified, they have already proven to be active, having intriguingly subtle but opposite physiological actions to ghrelin. This suggests the existence of a novel endocrine system with multiple effector elements which not only may have opposite actions but may regulate the action of each other. In this review, we summarize the steps which lead to the production of the different ghrelin gene products and examine the most significant differences between them in terms of structure and actions.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 16