1. Obestatin, a peptide encoded by the ghrelin gene, opposes ghrelin's effects on food intake.
- Author
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Zhang JV, Ren PG, Avsian-Kretchmer O, Luo CW, Rauch R, Klein C, and Hsueh AJ
- Subjects
- Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, CHO Cells, Computational Biology, Conserved Sequence, Cricetinae, Fasting, Gastric Emptying drug effects, Gastrointestinal Motility drug effects, Ghrelin, Humans, In Vitro Techniques, Ligands, Male, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Molecular Sequence Data, Peptide Hormones blood, Peptide Hormones chemistry, Peptide Hormones metabolism, Peptide Hormones pharmacology, Protein Binding, Radioimmunoassay, Rats, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled metabolism, Receptors, Ghrelin, Signal Transduction, Weight Gain drug effects, Eating drug effects, Peptide Hormones genetics, Peptide Hormones physiology, Protein Precursors genetics
- Abstract
Ghrelin, a circulating appetite-inducing hormone, is derived from a prohormone by posttranslational processing. On the basis of the bioinformatic prediction that another peptide also derived from proghrelin exists, we isolated a hormone from rat stomach and named it obestatin-a contraction of obese, from the Latin "obedere," meaning to devour, and "statin," denoting suppression. Contrary to the appetite-stimulating effects of ghrelin, treatment of rats with obestatin suppressed food intake, inhibited jejunal contraction, and decreased body-weight gain. Obestatin bound to the orphan G protein-coupled receptor GPR39. Thus, two peptide hormones with opposing action in weight regulation are derived from the same ghrelin gene. After differential modification, these hormones activate distinct receptors.
- Published
- 2005
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