title: Growth hormone releasing substances: types and their receptors.
abstract: A series of structurally diverse growth hormone (GH) releasing substances have been synthesized that are distinct from the naturally occurring GH releasing hormone (GHRH). These synthetic molecules range from the family of GH releasing peptides and mimetics such as MK-0677. The physiological importance of these molecules and their receptor is exemplified by studies in the elderly. For example, when MK-0677 was administered chronically to 70- to 90-year-old subjects, once daily, the age-related reduced amplitude of GH pulses was reversed to that of the physiological profile typical of young adults. In 1996, the synthesis of (35)S-MK-0677 was reported and used as a ligand to characterize a common receptor (GH secretagogue receptor [GHS-R]) for the GH releasing substances. The GHS-R is distinct from the GHRH receptor. Subsequently, the GHS-R gene was cloned and shown to encode a unique G-protein coupled receptor with a deduced protein sequence that was 96% identical in human and rat. Because of the physiological importance of the GHS-R, a search for family members (FMs) was initiated and its molecular evolution investigated. Three FMs GPR38, GPR39 and FM3 were isolated from human genomic libraries. To accelerate the identification of other FMs, a vertebrate organism with a compact genome distant in evolutionary terms from humans was exploited. The pufferfish (Spheroides nephelus) genome provides an ideal model for the discovery of human genes. Three distinct full-length clones encoding proteins of significant sequence identity to the human GHS-R were cloned from the pufferfish. Remarkably, the pufferfish gene with highest sequence homology to the human receptor was activated by the hexapeptide and non-peptide ligands. These intriguing results show that the structure and function of the ligand binding pocket of the human GHS-R has been highly conserved in evolution ( approximately 400 million years) and strongly suggests that an endogenous natural ligand has been conserved. This new information is consistent with a natural ligand for the GHS-R playing a fundamentally important and conserved role in physiology.
authors.affiliation: Huffington Center on Aging and Department of Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030-3498, USA. rsmith@bcm.tmc.edu
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: O C
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Palyha
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Feighner
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: McKee
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Hreniuk
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Morriello
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nargund
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Patchett
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Howard
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin; D018013:Receptors, Neuropeptide; D018017:Receptors, Pituitary Hormone-Regulating Hormone; D013141:Spiro Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D007211:Indoles; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin; D018013:Receptors, Neuropeptide; D018017:Receptors, Pituitary Hormone-Regulating Hormone; D013141:Spiro Compounds; D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone; C048250:somatotropin releasing hormone receptor; C094817:ibutamoren mesylate