Obestatin, a peptide encoded by the ghrelin gene, opposes ghrelin's effects on food intake

Science. 2005 Nov 11;310(5750):996-9. doi: 10.1126/science.1117255.

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.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • CHO Cells
  • Computational Biology
  • Conserved Sequence
  • Cricetinae
  • Eating* / drug effects
  • 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 / genetics*
  • Peptide Hormones / metabolism
  • Peptide Hormones / pharmacology
  • Peptide Hormones / physiology*
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Precursors / genetics*
  • Radioimmunoassay
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / metabolism
  • Receptors, Ghrelin
  • Signal Transduction
  • Weight Gain / drug effects

Substances

  • GPR39 protein, human
  • Ghrelin
  • Ligands
  • Peptide Hormones
  • Protein Precursors
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
  • Receptors, Ghrelin
  • obestatin, human
  • obestatin, rat

Associated data

  • RefSeq/NP_057446