title: What is the real relevance of endogenous ghrelin?
abstract: Ghrelin is a pleiotropic and ubiquitous gastric hormone implicated in body physiology. Ghrelin exhibits potent orexigenic actions and increases body weight and adiposity. Ghrelin is also involved in other metabolic functions among which we can highlight the GH releasing activity and the regulation of glucose homeostasis. Ghrelin needs the enzyme GOAT to be acylated, a step essential for binding to the GHSR1a receptor to exert its functions. Genetic animal models emerge as important tools to delineate the physiological relevance of ghrelin on energy balance. Despite the numerous reports using different genetically engineered mouse models targeting the ghrelin system, its endogenous relevance in metabolism seems to be less important than its pharmaceutical options.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine-CIMUS, Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria (IDIS), University of Santiago de Compostela, Avda. Barcelona s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatologia de la Obesidad y Nutricion (CIBERobn), Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña) 15706, Spain. Electronic address: omar.al-massadi@usc.es.
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Al Massadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine-CIMUS, Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria (IDIS), University of Santiago de Compostela, Avda. Barcelona s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatologia de la Obesidad y Nutricion (CIBERobn), Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña) 15706, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science, K. G. Jebsen Center for Diabetes Research, University of Bergen, Bergen N-5020, Norway.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernø
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine-CIMUS, Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria (IDIS), University of Santiago de Compostela, Avda. Barcelona s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatologia de la Obesidad y Nutricion (CIBERobn), Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña) 15706, Spain.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Diéguez
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine-CIMUS, Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria (IDIS), University of Santiago de Compostela, Avda. Barcelona s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatologia de la Obesidad y Nutricion (CIBERobn), Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña) 15706, Spain. Electronic address: ruben.nogueiras@usc.es.
authors.forename: Rubén
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nogueiras
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009765:Obesity; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin; D005947:Glucose
keywords: GHSR1a; GOAT; Ghrelin; Glucose homeostasis; Mouse mutants; Obesity