title: Structures and molecular forms of the ghrelin-family peptides.
abstract: Ghrelin is an acylated peptide hormone produced mainly from the stomach. The major active products of the ghrelin gene in the stomach of rats, mice and humans are 28-amino acid peptides acylated at the serine-3 position with an n-octanoyl group (C8:0), called simply ghrelin. However, recent studies have revealed that the ghrelin gene can generate a variety of bioactive molecules besides ghrelin. These include acyl forms of ghrelin other than C8:0-ghrelin (i.e., n-decanoyl ghrelin or n-decenoyl ghrelin), des-acyl ghrelin, obestatin and ghrelin-associated peptides originated from the ghrelin gene. This review surveys the structures of the ghrelin peptides and molecular forms of ghrelin gene-derived products, and summarizes the knowledge about the functions of these peptides, with an emphasis on the acyl forms of the ghrelin peptide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Kurume University School of Medicine, 67 Asahi-machi, Kurume, Fukuoka 830-0011, Japan. nishiy@med.kurume-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishi
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yoh
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hiejima
authors.forename: Masayasu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kojima
mesh_terms: D000215:Acylation; D000217:Acyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin; D000217:Acyltransferases; C542776:MBOAT4 protein, human; D002118:Calcium