Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P56851 (epididymal)
 11,273 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Besides possessing a strong growth hormone (GH)-releasing activity, the gastrointestinal octanoylated peptide ghrelin has been reported to antagonize lipolysis in rat adipocytes. It is not yet clear whether this inhibitory activity on lipolysis is also shared by the major circulating isoform, des-acyl ghrelin, that does not activate the ghrelin receptor, namely the type 1a GH secretagogue-receptor (GHS-R1a) and lacks the endocrine effects of the acylated form. Here we show that des-acyl ghrelin, like ghrelin and some synthetic GHS (hexarelin and MK0677) and carboxy-terminally ghrelin fragments such as ghrelin-(1-5) and ghrelin-(1-10), all significantly reduced, over concentrations ranging from 1 to 1000 nM, the stimulation of glycerol release caused in rat epididymal adipocytes by the nonselective beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoproterenol in vitro. The order of potency on stimulated-lipolysis was: des-acyl ghrelin=ghrelin>MK0677=hexarelin>ghrelin-(1-5)=ghrelin-(1-10). This ranking was consistent with the binding experiments performed on membranes of epididymal adipose tissue or isolated adipocytes that did not express mRNA for GHS-R1a. A common high-affinity binding site was recognized in these cells by both acylated and des-acylated ghrelin and also by hexarelin, MK0677, ghrelin-(1-5) and ghrelin-(1-10). In conclusion, these findings provide the first evidence that des-acyl ghrelin, as well as ghrelin, short ghrelin fragments and synthetic GHS, may act directly as antilipolytic factors on the adipose tissue through binding to a specific receptor which is distinct from GHS-R1a.
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PMID:Ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin both inhibit isoproterenol-induced lipolysis in rat adipocytes via a non-type 1a growth hormone secretagogue receptor. 1536 72

In this study we demonstrated the expression of the ghrelin receptor GHSR-1a in rat spermatids and epididymal spermatozoa, as well as some effects of ghrelin on the spermatozoa in vitro. For the demonstration of GHSR-1a the immunocytochemical, immunofluorescence and Western blotting techniques were applied using three different types of antibodies. The response of spermatozoa to ghrelin was tested in a series of in vitro experiments and their effects were evaluated using confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. GHSR-1a protein was found as expressed in the Golgi and acrosomes of spermatids and acrosome regions or the head cell membrane of epididymal spermatozoa. The GHSR-1a expression in spermatozoa was also confirmed by Western blot. No differences were found in percentage of spermatozoa showing annexin-V binding and expression of active form caspase-3 between control and ghrelin-treated spermatozoa. This result may indicate no pro-apoptotic effects of ghrelin neither at 10(-9) nor 10(-6)mol/L concentration. Ghrelin (10(-6)mol/L) increased free intracellular calcium ion concentration in the rat spermatozoa. Moreover, stimulation with 10(-6)mol/L ghrelin increased, while 10(-4)mol/L ghrelin decreased the number of spermatozoa showing progressive motility. In conclusion, the expression of the GHSR-1a receptor in spermatozoa, as well as ghrelin influences on sperm motility and intracellular calcium ion concentration suggest that such biological effects of ghrelin may be produced under in vivo conditions.
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PMID:Expression of ghrelin receptor (GHSR-1a) in rat epididymal spermatozoa and the effects of its activation. 2315

Cancer cachexia is a progressive wasting syndrome characterized by anorexia and weight loss, specifically muscle wasting and fat depletion. There is no therapeutic agent for treatment of this syndrome. We investigated the anti-cachexia effects of Z-505 hydrochloride (Z-505), a new oral growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHSR1a) agonist, using a mouse model of cancer cachexia. We performed a calcium flux assay in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells stably expressing human GHSR1a to quantify the agonistic activity of Z-505. In Colon 26 tumor-bearing mice, Z-505 (300mg/kg, p.o., twice daily) was administered for 7 days to assess its anti-cachexia effects. Body weight and food intake were monitored during the period, and the skeletal muscle and epididymal fat weights were measured. Serum levels of insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and corticosterone were measured to confirm the mechanism of the anti-cachexia action of Z-505. Z-505 showed strong agonistic activity similar to that of human ghrelin, with a half maximal effective concentration (EC50) value of 0.45nM. Z-505 treatment significantly increased food intake and inhibited the progression of weight loss. Z-505 also significantly attenuated muscle wasting and fat loss, and increased circulating levels of anabolic factors such as insulin and IGF-1, but not catabolic factors such as IL-6 and corticosterone. These findings suggest that Z-505 might be effective in the treatment of cachexia via the increased anabolic hormone levels stimulated by the activation of the ghrelin receptor, GHSR1a.
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PMID:Z-505 hydrochloride, an orally active ghrelin agonist, attenuates the progression of cancer cachexia via anabolic hormones in Colon 26 tumor-bearing mice. 2852 41