title: Ghrelin and gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
abstract: Ghrelin, as a kind of multifunctional protein polypeptide, is mainly produced in the fundus of the stomach and can promote occurrence and development of many tumors, including gastrointestinal tumors, which has been proved by the relevant researches. Most gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs, about 80%), as the most common mesenchymal tumor, also develop in the fundus. Scientific research has confirmed that ghrelin, its receptors and mRNA respectively can be found in GISTs, which demonstrated the existence of a ghrelin autocrine/paracrine loop in GIST tissues. However, no reports to date have specified the mechanism whether ghrelin can promote the occurrence and development of GISTs. Studies of pulmonary artery endothelial cells in a low-oxygen environment and cardiac muscle cells in an ischemic environment have shown that ghrelin can activate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) signaling pathway. Moreover, some studies of GISTs have confirmed that activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway can indeed promote the growth and progression of GISTs. Whether ghrelin is involved in the development or progression of GISTs through certain pathways remains unknown. Can we find a new target for the treatment of GISTs? This review explores and summaries the relationship among ghrelin, the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and the development of GISTs.
authors.affiliation: Chang-Zhen Zhu, Dong Liu, Wei-Ming Kang, Jian-Chun Yu, Zhi-Qiang Ma, Xin Ye, Kang Li, Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Chang-Zhen
authors.initials: CZ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Chang-Zhen Zhu, Dong Liu, Wei-Ming Kang, Jian-Chun Yu, Zhi-Qiang Ma, Xin Ye, Kang Li, Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Chang-Zhen Zhu, Dong Liu, Wei-Ming Kang, Jian-Chun Yu, Zhi-Qiang Ma, Xin Ye, Kang Li, Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Ming
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Chang-Zhen Zhu, Dong Liu, Wei-Ming Kang, Jian-Chun Yu, Zhi-Qiang Ma, Xin Ye, Kang Li, Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Chun
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Chang-Zhen Zhu, Dong Liu, Wei-Ming Kang, Jian-Chun Yu, Zhi-Qiang Ma, Xin Ye, Kang Li, Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Qiang
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Chang-Zhen Zhu, Dong Liu, Wei-Ming Kang, Jian-Chun Yu, Zhi-Qiang Ma, Xin Ye, Kang Li, Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Chang-Zhen Zhu, Dong Liu, Wei-Ming Kang, Jian-Chun Yu, Zhi-Qiang Ma, Xin Ye, Kang Li, Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Kang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D046152:Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Q000378:metabolism*; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D058539:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase / Q000378:metabolism; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D058539:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; C515349:GHRL protein, human; C546842:MTOR protein, human
keywords: Development; Gastrointestinal stromal tumor; Ghrelin; Occurrence; PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway