title: GOAT links dietary lipids with the endocrine control of energy balance.
abstract: Central nervous system nutrient sensing and afferent endocrine signaling have been established as parallel systems communicating metabolic status and energy availability in vertebrates. The only afferent endocrine signal known to require modification with a fatty acid side chain is the orexigenic hormone ghrelin. We find that the ghrelin O-acyl transferase (GOAT), which is essential for ghrelin acylation, is regulated by nutrient availability, depends on specific dietary lipids as acylation substrates and links ingested lipids to energy expenditure and body fat mass. These data implicate the ghrelin-GOAT system as a signaling pathway that alerts the central nervous system to the presence of dietary calories, rather than to their absence as is commonly accepted.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Obesity Research Centre & Genome Research Institute, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Henriette
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kirchner
authors.forename: Jesus A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gutierrez
authors.forename: Patricia J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Solenberg
authors.forename: Paul T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Pfluger
authors.forename: Traci A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Czyzyk
authors.forename: Jill A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Willency
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schürmann
authors.forename: Hans-Georg
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Joost
authors.forename: Ronald J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Jandacek
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hale
authors.forename: Mark L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Heiman
authors.forename: Matthias H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Tschöp
mesh_terms: D000217:Acyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D054439:Ghrelin; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014280:Triglycerides; D000217:Acyltransferases; C526983:Mboat4 protein, mouse