Letteratura scientifica selezionata sul tema "Ghrelin signaling"

Abstract Ghrelin is a small peptide hormone that requires a unique post-translational modification, serine octanoylation, to bind and activate the GHS-R1a receptor. Ghrelin signaling is implicated in a variety of neurological and physiological processes, but is most well known for its roles in controlling hunger and metabolic regulation. Ghrelin octanoylation is catalyzed by ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT), a member of the membrane-bound O-acyltransferase (MBOAT) enzyme family. From the status of ghrelin as the only substrate for GOAT in the human genome to the source and requirement for the octanoyl acyl donor, the ghrelin–GOAT system is defined by multiple unique aspects within both protein biochemistry and endocrinology. In this review, we examine recent advances in our understanding of the interactions and mechanisms leading to ghrelin modification by GOAT, discuss the potential sources for the octanoyl acyl donor required for ghrelin's activation, and summarize the current landscape of molecules targeting ghrelin octanoylation through GOAT inhibition.

Abstract The ghrelin receptor (GhrelinR) and its related orphan GPR39 each display constitutive signaling, but only GhrelinRs undergo basal internalization. Here we investigate these differences by considering the roles of the C tail receptor domains for constitutive internalization and activity. Furthermore the interaction between phosphorylated receptors and β-arrestin adaptor proteins has been examined. Replacement of the FLAG-tagged GhrelinR C tail with the equivalent GPR39 domain (GhR-39 chimera) preserved Gq signaling. However in contrast to the GhrelinR, GhR-39 receptors exhibited no basal and substantially decreased agonist-induced internalization in transiently transfected HEK293 cells. Internalized GhrelinR and GhR-39 were predominantly localized to recycling compartments, identified with transferrin and the monomeric G proteins Rab5 and Rab11. Both the inverse agonist [d-Arg1, d-Phe5, d-Trp7,9, Leu11] substance P and a naturally occurring mutant GhrelinR (A204E) with eliminated constitutive activity inhibited basal GhrelinR internalization. Surprisingly, we found that noninternalizing GPR39 was highly phosphorylated and that basal and agonist-induced phosphorylation of the GhR-39 chimera was elevated compared with GhrelinRs. Moreover, basal GhrelinR endocytosis occurred without significant phosphorylation, and it was not prevented by cotransfection of a dominant-negative β-arrestin1(319–418) fragment or by expression in β-arrestin1/2 double-knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts. In contrast, agonist-stimulated GhrelinRs recruited the clathrin adaptor green fluorescent protein-tagged β-arrestin2 to endosomes, coincident with increased receptor phosphorylation. Thus, GhrelinR internalization to recycling compartments depends on C-terminal motifs and constitutive activity, but the high levels of GPR39 phosphorylation, and of the GhR-39 chimera, are not sufficient to drive endocytosis. In addition, basal GhrelinR internalization occurs independently of β-arrestins.

Abstract Two nonpeptide (L692,429 and MK-677) and two peptide [GH-releasing peptide (GHRP)-6 and ghrelin] agonists were compared in binding and in signal transduction assays: calcium mobilization, inositol phosphate turnover, cAMP-responsive element (CRE), and serum-responsive element (SRE) controlled transcription, as well as arrestin mobilization. MK-677 acted as a simple agonist having an affinity of 6.5 nm and activated all signal transduction systems with similar high potency (0.2–1.4 nm). L-692,429 also displayed a very similar potency in all signaling assays (25–60 nm) but competed with a 1000-fold lower apparent affinity for ghrelin binding and surprisingly acted as a positive allosteric receptor modulator by increasing ghrelin’s potency 4- to 10-fold. In contrast, the potency of GHRP-6 varied 600-fold (0.1–61 nm) depending on the signal transduction assay, and it acted as a negative allosteric modulator of ghrelin signaling. Unexpectedly, the maximal signaling efficacy for ghrelin was increased above what was observed with the hormone itself during coadministration with the nonendogenous agonists. It is concluded that agonists for the ghrelin receptor vary both in respect of their intrinsic agonist properties and in their ability to modulate ghrelin signaling. A receptor model is presented wherein ghrelin normally only activates one receptor subunit in a dimer and where the smaller nonendogenous agonists bind in the other subunit to act both as coagonists and as either neutral (MK-677), positive (L-692,429), or negative (GHRP-6) modulators of ghrelin function. It is suggested that an optimal drug candidate could be an agonist that also is a positive modulator of ghrelin signaling.

Abstract The anorexigenic adipocyte-derived hormone leptin and the orexigenic hormone ghrelin act in opposition to regulate feeding behavior via the vagal afferent pathways. The mechanisms by which ghrelin exerts its inhibitory effects on leptin are unknown. We hypothesized that ghrelin activates the exchange protein activated by cAMP (Epac), inducing increased SOCS3 expression, which negatively affects leptin signal transduction and neuronal firing in nodose ganglia (NG) neurons. We showed that 91 ± 3% of leptin receptor (LRb) –bearing neurons contained ghrelin receptors (GHS-R1a) and that ghrelin significantly inhibited leptin-stimulated STAT3 phosphorylation in rat NG neurons. Studies of the signaling cascades used by ghrelin showed that ghrelin caused a significant increase in Epac and suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) expression in cultured rat NG neurons. Transient transfection of cultured NG neurons to silence SOCS3 and Epac genes reversed the inhibitory effects of ghrelin on leptin-stimulated STAT3 phosphorylation. Patch-clamp studies and recordings of single neuronal discharges of vagal primary afferent neurons showed that ghrelin markedly inhibited leptin-stimulated neuronal firing, an action abolished by silencing SOCS3 expression in NG. Plasma ghrelin levels increased significantly during fasting. This was accompanied by enhanced SOCS3 expression in the NG and prevented by treatment with a ghrelin antagonist. Feeding studies showed that silencing SOCS3 expression in the NG reduced food intake evoked by endogenous leptin. We conclude that ghrelin exerts its inhibitory effects on leptin-stimulated neuronal firing by increasing SOCS3 expression. The SOCS3 signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in ghrelin's inhibitory effect on STAT3 phosphorylation, neuronal firing, and feeding behavior.

Abstract The aging process is characterized by increased chronic low-grade inflammation, aka inflamm-aging, which offend is accompanied by ‘leaky gut’ syndrome. Inflamm-aging is a highly significant risk factor for both morbidity and mortality in the older adult population (>65 years of age). In addition, there is a growing prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract in the older adult population. The pathogenesis of late-onset IBD is suggested to be more complex compared with younger IBD patients; the causes determining the age of IBD onset remain unexplained. Ghrelin is a 28-amino-acid peptide hormone mainly produced by X/A-like cells of the stomach, with well-characterized functions in growth hormone secretion, food intake, adiposity and insulin resistance. Ghrelin’s biological relevant receptor is Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor (GHS-R). Ghrelin and ghrelin mimetics have been considered viable candidates for treating cachexia, sarcopenia, and gastrointestinal disorders. As expected, we observed that the expression of tight junction proteins in colon mucosal layer decreases with age. When challenged with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) to induce experimental ulcerative colitis, 18-months old male C57BL/6 mice exhibited exacerbated disease activity scores compared to young male mice (5-months), showing worsened pathology such as rectal bleeding and difficulty in defecation. DSS-induced colitis was exacerbated in both ghrelin-deficient (Ghrl-/-) and ghrelin receptor-deficient (Ghsr-/-) mice. Together, these data suggest endogenous ghrelin signaling contributes to susceptibility to colitis, and ghrelin signaling pathway may present a novel target for prevention and treatment of leaky gut syndrome in aging.

Ghrelin is a peptide hormone, originally identified from the stomach, that functions as an endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) and promotes growth hormone (GH) release and food intake. Increasing reports point out ghrelin’s role in cancer progression. We previously characterized ghrelin’s prognostic significance in the clear cell subtype of renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), and its pro-metastatic ability via Snail-dependent cell migration. However, ghrelin’s activity in promoting cell invasion remains obscure. In this study, an Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA)-based investigation of differentially expressed genes in Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) dataset indicated the potential association of Aurora A with ghrelin in ccRCC metastasis. In addition, a significant correlation between ghrelin and Aurora A expression level in 15 ccRCC cell line was confirmed by variant probes. ccRCC patients with high ghrelin and Aurora A status were clinically associated with poor outcome. We further observed that ghrelin upregulated Aurora A at the protein and RNA levels and that ghrelin-induced ccRCC in vitro invasion and in vivo metastasis occurred in an Aurora A-dependent manner. Furthermore, MMP1, 2, 9 and 10 expressions are associated with poor outcome. In particular, MMP10 is significantly upregulated and required for the ghrelin-Aurora A axis to promote ccRCC invasion. The results of this study indicated a novel signaling mechanism in ccRCC metastasis.

Ghrelin is an octanoylated 28 amino acid peptide predominantly secreted by the stomach, and has potent stimulatory effects on appetite. Several laboratories, including our own, have demonstrated that ghrelin levels fall in states of acute inflammation brought about by injection of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We now demonstrate that the decrease in circulating ghrelin is not due to a decrease in ghrelin gene expression, but is instead likely to be due to an acute decrease in ghrelin secretion. Furthermore, we have found that the change in circulating ghrelin during acute inflammation required a prostaglandin second messenger, but did not require the synthesis of nitric oxide. Interestingly, i.v. injection of prostaglandin E2 failed to decrease circulating ghrelin levels, whereas prostacyclin decreased circulating ghrelin to a similar extent as did LPS. We also provide anatomical evidence for the mechanism of the regulation of ghrelin by inflammation. We demonstrate that the type 1 interleukin-1β (IL-1β) receptor is expressed within the gastric mucosa, but is not expressed by ghrelin cells. The prostacyclin receptor was also expressed in the gastric mucosa, and the majority of ghrelin-producing cells were found to co-express this receptor. Mice with genetic deletion of the type 1 IL-1 receptor do not suppress circulating ghrelin levels with LPS administration. Collectively, these data support a model in which the mechanism of inflammation induced decreases in ghrelin are due to the action of IL-1β on cells within the gastric mucosa that in turn produce prostacyclin as a second messenger. These data provide further support for the potential role of ghrelin as a therapeutic agent in acute and chronic inflammatory diseases.

Ghrelin, a gastric hormone, provides a hunger signal to the central nervous system to stimulate food intake. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is an intracellular fuel sensor critical for cellular energy homeostasis. Here we showed the reciprocal relationship of gastric mTOR signaling and ghrelin during changes in energy status. mTOR activity was down-regulated, whereas gastric preproghrelin and circulating ghrelin were increased by fasting. In db/db mice, gastric mTOR signaling was enhanced, whereas gastric preproghrelin and circulating ghrelin were decreased. Inhibition of the gastric mTOR signaling by rapamycin stimulated the expression of gastric preproghrelin and ghrelin mRNA and increased plasma ghrelin in both wild-type and db/db mice. Activation of the gastric mTOR signaling by l-leucine decreased the expression of gastric preproghrelin and the level of plasma ghrelin. Overexpression of mTOR attenuated ghrelin promoter activity, whereas inhibition of mTOR activity by overexpression of TSC1 or TSC2 increased its activity. Ghrelin receptor antagonist d-Lys-3-GH-releasing peptide-6 abolished the rapamycin-induced increment in food intake despite that plasma ghrelin remained elevated. mTOR is therefore a gastric fuel sensor whose activity is linked to the regulation of energy intake through ghrelin.

Many small mammals have the ability to enter torpor, characterized by a controlled drop in body temperature (Tb). We hypothesized that ghrelin would modulate torpor bouts, because torpor is induced by fasting in mice coincident with elevated circulating ghrelin. Female National Institutes of Health (NIH) Swiss mice were implanted with a Tb telemeter and housed at an ambient temperature (Ta) of 18°C. On fasting, all mice entered a bout of torpor (minimum Tb: 23.8 ± 2.0°C). Peripheral ghrelin administration (100 μg) during fasting significantly deepened the bout of torpor (Tb minimum: 19.4 ± 0.5°C). When the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus, a ghrelin receptor-rich region of the brain, was chemically ablated with monosodium glutamate (MSG), fasted mice failed to enter torpor (minimum Tb = 31.6 ± 0.6°C). Furthermore, ghrelin administration had no effect on the Tb minimum of ARC-ablated mice (31.8 ± 0.8°C). Two major pathways that regulate food intake reside in the ARC, the anorexigenic α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) pathway and the orexigenic neuropeptide Y (NPY) signaling pathway. Both Ay mice, which have the α-MSH pathway blocked, and Npy −/− mice exhibited shallow, aborted torpor bouts in response to fasting (Tb minimum: 29.1 ± 0.6°C and 29.9 ± 1.2°C, respectively). Ghrelin deepened torpor in Ay mice (Tb minimum: 22.8 ± 1.3°C), but had no effect in Npy −/− mice (Tb minimum: 29.5 ± 0.8°C). Collectively, these data suggest that ghrelin's actions on torpor are mediated via NPY neurons within the ARC.

La ghréline acylée, une hormone produite par l’estomac, favorise la prise de poids corporel, majoritairement sous forme de masse grasse, par le biais de divers mécanismes centraux et périphériques via le récepteur sécrétagogue de l’hormone de croissance (GHSR). Le GHSR est un récepteur couplé aux protéines G qui, en plus de répondre à la ghréline acylée, possède une signalisation indépendante de la ghréline par le biais de son activité constitutive ou par une modulation de réponses dopaminergiques via oligomérisation du GHSR avec des récepteurs dopaminergiques. Malgré les puissantes réponses pharmacologiques à la ghréline acylée, des modèles animaux capables d’appréhender la complexité du système ghréline acylée-GHSR in vivo manquent, ce qui a considérablement ralenti l’élucidation des rôles physiologiques de cette hormone et de son récepteur. En effet, les modèles génétiques murins générés jusqu’à présent manquent de spécificité au niveau de l’hormone (incapacité à discriminer la ghréline acylée de la ghréline désacylée), et/ou au niveau du GHSR (incapacité à discriminer les différents modes de signalisation du GHSR). Dans ce contexte, de nouveaux modèles qui impacteraient de façon différentielle les voies de signalisation du GHSR seraient des outils pertinents pour contribuer au déchiffrage du système ghréline acylée-GHSR in vivo. Nous nous sommes ainsi attachés à caractériser un modèle de rats porteur d’une mutation ponctuelle dans le Ghsr qui prédit la délétion d’un domaine régulateur dans l’extrémité C-terminale du GHSR (GhsrQ343X). Dans des modèles cellulaires, nous avons montré que cette mutation découple le GHSR des processus d’internalisation du récepteur et de recrutement de la β-arrestine induits par la ghréline acylée, tout en augmentant la réponse aux agonistes du GHSR dans la voie des protéines G. Conformément à ce mécanisme, les rats mutants homozygotes GhsrM/M ont une réponse accrue à l’administration d’agonistes du GHSR sur le plan de la libération d’hormone de croissance, de la prise alimentaire ou de l’activité locomotrice. L’exploration physiologique et comportementale des rats GhsrM/M indique que la mutation GhsrQ343X est associée à une augmentation du poids et de l’adiposité indépendamment de la prise alimentaire, une diminution de l’oxydation globale des acides gras, de la flexibilité métabolique et de la tolérance au glucose, sans impact critique sur la prise alimentaire homéostatique. En outre, étant donné que la mutation GhsrQ343X n’augmente pas les niveaux circulants de ghréline, le phénotype métabolique général des rats GhsrM/M est en accord avec une sensibilité augmentée du GHSR en réponse au tonus endogène de ghréline acylée. Enfin, des résultats préliminaires suggèrent que la mutation GhsrQ343X pourrait être associée à des altérations relatives aux fonctions de récompense et de mémoire dont les mécanismes sous-jacents restent à décrypter. En résumé, nous proposons le modèle de rat mutant GhsrQ343X comme un nouvel outil, plus spécifique que les modèles murins d’invalidation génétique, pour explorer in vivo la signalisation du GHSR dans diverses fonctions biologiques, et à plus long terme aider au design de composés pharmacologiques ciblant le GHSR efficaces dans un cadre clinique
The stomach-derived hormone acyl ghrelin promotes body weight gain, mostly in the form of fat mass, by means of several central and peripheral mechanisms mediated by the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR). The GHSR is a G protein-coupled receptor that, in addition to respond to acyl ghrelin, displays agonist-independent signaling through high constitutive activity and possibly heteromerization with dopamine receptors. Despite the potent biological properties of exogenous acyl ghrelin, the lack of animal models able to apprehend the complexity of the acyl ghrelin-GHSR system in vivo has been hampering the elucidation of its physiological roles. Indeed, genetic mouse models generated so far lack specificity either at the level of the hormone (not able to discriminate between acyl ghrelin versus desacyl ghrelin) and/or at the level of the GHSR (not able to discriminate between GHSR signaling modes). In this context, new models differentially affecting GHSR signaling pathways would represent valuable tools to decipher the acyl ghrelin-GHSR system in vivo. We therefore aimed at characterizing a new rat model carrying a point mutation in Ghsr that predicts truncation of a regulatory domain in the C-terminus, the GhsrQ343X mutation. In cellular models, this mutation was found to uncouple the GHSR from agonist-dependent receptor internalization and β-arrestin recruitment, while enhancing GHSR responsiveness in the G protein pathway. Accordingly, homozygous mutant GhsrM/M rats show enhanced responsiveness to exogenous GHSR agonists in terms of growth hormone release, food intake and locomotor activity. Physiological and behavioral exploration of GhsrM/M rats supports that the GhsrQ343X mutation is associated with increased body weight gain and adiposity independently of calorie intake, reduced whole-body fat oxidation, metabolic flexibility and glucose tolerance, without any critical impact on homeostatic feeding behavior. Moreover, given that circulating ghrelin levels are not increased by the GhsrQ343X mutation, the overall metabolic phenotype of GhsrM/M rats is consistent with enhanced GHSR sensitivity to the endogenous tone of acyl ghrelin. Furthermore, preliminary results suggest that the GhsrQ343X mutation could be associated with behavioral alterations related to reward and memory functions, through mechanisms that remain to be elucidated. Altogether, we propose the GhsrQ343X mutant rat model as a novel tool, more specific than knockout mouse models in its mechanism-of-action, to explore GHSR signaling across biological functions in vivo, and ultimately help in the design of efficient GHSR-targeting drugs

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer related deaths in Western men. Despite the significant improvements in current treatment techniques, there is no cure for advanced metastatic, castrate-resistant disease. Early detection and prevention of progression to a castrate-resistant state may provide new strategies to improve survival. A number of growth factors have been shown to act in an autocrine/paracrine manner to modulate prostate cancer tumour growth. Our laboratory has previously shown that ghrelin and its receptors (the functional GHS-R1a and the non-functional GHS-R1b) are expressed in prostate cancer specimens and cell lines. We have shown that ghrelin increases cell proliferation in the PC3 and LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines through activation of ERK1/2, suggesting that ghrelin could regulate prostate cancer cell growth and play a role in the progression of the disease. Ghrelin is a 28 amino-acid peptide hormone, identified to be the natural ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R1a). It is well characterised as a growth hormone releasing and as an orexigenic peptide that stimulates appetite and feeding and regulates energy expenditure and bodyweight. In addition to its orexigenic properties, ghrelin has been shown to play a regulatory role in a number of systems, including the reproductive, immune and cardiovascular systems and may play a role in a number of pathological conditions such as chronic heart failure, anorexia, cachexia, obesity, diabetes and cancer. In cancer, ghrelin and its receptor are expressed in a range of tumours and cancer cell lines and ghrelin has been demonstrated to modulate cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion in some cell types. The ghrelin gene (GHRL) encodes preproghrelin peptide, which is processed to produce three currently known functional peptides - ghrelin, desacyl ghrelin and obestatin. Prohormone convertases (PCs) have been shown to cleave the preproghrelin peptide into two primary products - the 28 amino acid peptide, ghrelin, and the remaining 117 amino acid C-terminal peptide, C-ghrelin. C-ghrelin can then be further processed to produce the 23 amino acid peptide, obestatin. Ghrelin circulates in two different forms - an octanoylated form (known as ghrelin) and a non-octanoylated form, desacyl ghrelin. The unique post-translational addition of octanoic acid to the serine 3 residue of the propeptide chain to form acylated ghrelin is catalysed by ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT). This modification is necessary for binding of ghrelin to its only known functional receptor, the GHS-R1a. As desacyl ghrelin cannot bind and activate the GHS-R1a, it was initially thought to be an inactive peptide, despite the fact that it circulates at much higher levels than ghrelin. Further research has demonstrated that desacyl ghrelin is biologically active and shares some of the actions of ghrelin, as well as having some opposing and distinct roles. Interestingly, both ghrelin and desacyl ghrelin have been shown to modulate apoptosis, cell differentiation and proliferation in some cell types, and to stimulate cell proliferation through activation of ERK1/2 and PI3K/Akt pathways. The third known peptide product of the ghrelin preprohormone, obestatin, was initially thought to oppose the actions of ghrelin in appetite regulation and food intake and to mediate its effects through the G protein-coupled receptor 39 (GPR39). Subsequent research failed to reproduce the initial findings, however, and the possible anorexigenic effects of obestatin, as well as the identity of its receptor, remain unclear. Obestatin plays some important physiological roles, including roles in improving memory, the inhibition of thirst and anxiety, increased secretion of pancreatic juice, and regulation of cell proliferation, survival, apoptosis and differentiation. Preliminary studies have also shown that obestatin stimulates cell proliferation in some cell types through activation of ERK1/2, Akt and PKC pathways. Overall, however, at the commencement of this PhD project, relatively little was known regarding the functions and mechanisms of action of the preproghrelin-derived functional peptides in modulating prostate cancer cell proliferation. The roles of obestatin, and desacyl ghrelin as potential growth factors had not previously been investigated, and the potential expression and regulation of the preproghrelin processing enzymes, GOAT and prohormone convertases was unknown in prostate cancer cell lines. Therefore, the overall objectives of this study were to: 1. investigate the effects of obestatin on cell proliferation and signaling in prostate cancer cell lines 2. compare the effects of desacyl ghrelin and ghrelin on cell proliferation and signaling in prostate cancer cell lines 3. investigate whether prostate cancer cell lines possess the necessary enzymatic machinery to produce ghrelin and desacyl ghrelin and if these peptides can regulate GOAT expression Our laboratory has previously shown that ghrelin stimulates cell proliferation in the PC3 and LNCaP prostate cancer cell line through activation of the ERK1/2 pathway. In this study it has been demonstrated that treatments with either ghrelin, desacyl ghrelin or obestatin over 72 hours significantly increased cell proliferation in the PC3 prostate cancer cell line but had no significant effect in the RWPE-1 transformed normal prostate cell line. Ghrelin (1000nM) stimulated cell proliferation in the PC3 prostate cancer cell line by 31.66 6.68% (p<0.01) with the WST-1 method, and 13.55 5.68% (p<0.05) with the CyQUANT assay. Desacyl ghrelin (1000nM) increased cell proliferation in PC3 cells by 21.73 2.62% (p<0.01) (WST-1), and 15.46 7.05% (p<0.05) (CyQUANT) above untreated control. Obestatin (1000nM) induced a 28.37 7.47% (p<0.01) (WST-1) and 12.14 7.47% (p<0.05) (CyQUANT) significant increase in cell proliferation in the PC3 prostate cancer cell line. Ghrelin and desacyl ghrelin treatments stimulated Akt and ERK phosphorylation across a range of concentrations (p<0.01). Obestatin treatment significantly stimulated Akt, ERK and PKC phosphorylation (p<0.05). Through the use of specific inhibitors, the MAPK inhibitor U0126 and the Akt1/2 kinase inhibitor, it was demonstrated that ghrelin- and obestatin-induced cell proliferation in the PC3 prostate cancer cell line is mediated through activation of ERK1/2 and Akt pathways. Although desacyl ghrelin significantly stimulated Akt and ERK phosphorylation, U0126 failed to prevent desacyl ghrelin-induced cell proliferation suggesting ghrelin and desacyl ghrelin might act through different mechanisms to increase cell proliferation. Ghrelin and desacyl ghrelin have shown a proliferative effect in osteoblasts, pancreatic -cells and cardiomyocytes through activation of ERK1/2 and PI3K/Akt pathways. Here it has been shown that ghrelin and its non-acylated form exert the same function and stimulate cell proliferation in the PC3 prostate cancer cell line through activation of the Akt pathway. Ghrelin-induced proliferation was also mediated through activation of the ERK1/2 pathway, however, desacyl ghrelin seems to stimulate cell proliferation in an ERK1/2-independent manner. As desacyl ghrelin does not bind and activate GHSR1a, the only known functional ghrelin receptor, the finding that both ghrelin and desacyl ghrelin stimulate cell proliferation in the PC3 cell line suggests that these peptides could be acting through the yet unidentified alternative ghrelin receptor in this cell type. Obestatin treatment also stimulated PKC phosphorylation, however, a direct role for this pathway in stimulating cell proliferation could not be proven using available PKC pathway inhibitors, as they caused significant cell death over the extended timeframe of the cell proliferation assays. Obestatin has been shown to stimulate cell proliferation through activation of PKC isoforms in human retinal epithelial cells and in the human gastric cancer cell line KATO-III. We have demonstrated that all of the prostate-derived cell lines examined (PC3, LNCaP, DU145, 22Rv1, RWPE-1 and RWPE-2) expressed GOAT and at least one of the prohormone convertases, which are known to cleave the proghrelin peptide, PC1/3, PC2 and furin, at the mRNA level. These cells, therefore, are likely to possess the necessary machinery to cleave the preproghrelin protein and to produce the mature ghrelin and desacyl ghrelin peptides. In addition to prohormone convertases, the presence of octanoic acid is essential for acylated ghrelin production. In this study octanoic acid supplementation significantly increased cell proliferation in the PC3 prostate cancer cell line by over 20% compared to untreated controls (p<0.01), but surprisingly, not in the DU145, LNCaP or 22Rv1 prostate cancer cell lines or in the RWPE-1 and RWPE-2 prostate-derived cell lines. In addition, we demonstrated that exogenous ghrelin induced a statistically significant two-fold decrease in GOAT mRNA expression in the PC3 cell line (p<0.05), suggesting that ghrelin could pontentially downregulate its own acylation and, therefore, regulate the balance between ghrelin and desacyl ghrelin. This was not observed, however, in the DU145 and LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines. The GOAT-ghrelin system represents a direct link between ingested nutrients and regulation of ghrelin production and the ghrelin/desacyl ghrelin ratio. Regulation of ghrelin acylation is a potentially attractive and desirable tool for the development of better therapies for a number of pathological conditions where ghrelin has been shown to play a key role. The finding that desacyl ghrelin stimulates cell proliferation in the PC3 prostate cancer cell line, and responds to ghrelin in the same way, suggests that this cell line expresses an alternative ghrelin receptor. Although all the cell lines examined expressed both GHS-R1a and GHS-R1b mRNA, it remains uncertain whether these cell lines express the unidentified alternative ghrelin receptor. It is possible that the varied responses seen could be due to the expression of different ghrelin receptors in different cell lines. In addition to GOAT, prohormone convertases and octanoic acid availability may regulate the production of different peptides from the ghrelin preprohormone. The studies presented in this thesis provide significant new information regarding the roles and mechanisms of action of the preproghrelin-derived peptides, ghrelin, desacyl ghrelin and obestatin, in modulating prostate cancer cell line proliferation. A number of key questions remain to be resolved, however, including the identification of the alternative ghrelin/desacyl ghrelin receptor, the identification of the obestatin receptor, a clarification of the signaling mechanisms which mediate cell proliferation in response to obestatin treatment and a better understanding of the regulation at both the gene and post-translational levels of functional peptide generation. Further studies investigating the role of the ghrelin axis using in vivo prostate cancer models may be warranted. Until these issues are determined, the potential for the ghrelin axis, to be recognised as a novel useful target for therapy for cancer or other pathologies will be uncertain.

Ingested lipid releases the gut peptide cholecystokinin (CCK) which limits food intake by modulating gut function and signalling to the brain. Current understanding of this pathway and its interaction with other gut-brain signalling peptides such as ghrelin is incomplete. To clarify the roles of lipid, CCK and ghrelin in gut-brain signalling pathway in man, a series of human studies were performed in order to answer the following questions.

La perturbation des mécanismes de réponse au stress chez les organismes peut entraîner une dysfonction cellulaire et des maladies telles que le syndrome métabolique. L'équilibre énergétique est principalement régulé par le système nerveux central (SNC), qui intègre des signaux hormonaux, neuronaux et alimentaires provenant de divers tissus. Une dysfonction de ce système est liée à l'obésité et au syndrome métabolique, qui sont tous deux des précurseurs du diabète de type 2 (T2D). Notre laboratoire a découvert que la protéine kinase ID dépendante du calcium/calmoduline (CaMK1D), un gène associé au T2D, favorise la prise alimentaire médiée par la ghréline chez les souris. Cependant, le rôle de la signalisation de CaMK1D dans les neurones NPY/AgRP reste encore à éclaircir. Dans cette étude, nous avons réalisé un séquençage de l'ARN en utilisant la lignée cellulaire hypothalamique GT1-7. Nous avons ainsi découvert que CalHM6 est une cible potentielle en aval de la signalisation de CaMK1D. Les niveaux d'ARNm de CalHM6 sont ainsi significativement augmentés dans les cellules CaMK1D-/- et sont réduits lorsque CaMK1D est ré-exprimé. Cela a également été confirmé in vivo dans l'hypothalamus des souris CaMK1D-/-. CalHM6, probablement un canal calcique dépendant du voltage, a montré des niveaux intracellulaires de Ca2+ augmentés en réponse à la ghréline dans les cellules CaMK1D-/- par rapport aux cellules CaMK1D+/+ en utilisant la méthode jGCamps. En résumé, notre travail a montré que CalHM6 est une nouvelle cible de CaMK1D. Une expression élevée de CaMK1D, entraînant une faible expression de CalHM6, pourrait ainsi favoriser la prise alimentaire et l'obésité en modulant la signalisation dépendante du calcium dans les neurones NPY/AgRP
Disruption of stress response mechanisms in organisms can lead to cellular dysfunction and diseases like metabolic syndrome. Energy balance is mainly regulated by the central nervous system (CNS), which integrates hormonal, neuronal, and dietary signals from various tissues. Dysfunction in this system is linked to obesity and metabolic syndrome, both precursors to type 2 diabetes (T2D). Our laboratory discovered that calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase ID (CaMK1D), a gene associated with T2D, promotes ghrelin-mediated food intake in mice. However, CaMK1D signaling in NPY/AgRP neurons still remains questions. In this work, we proformed RNA sequencing using the GT1-7 hypothalamic cell line. To this end, we found that CalHM6 is a downstream target of CaMK1D signaling. CalHM6 mRNA levels were significantly upregulated in CaMK1D-/- cells and downregulated when CaMK1D was re-expressed. This was confirmed in vivo in the hypothalamus of CaMK1D-/- mice. CalHM6, likely a voltage-gated calcium channel, showed increased intracellular Ca2+ levels in response to ghrelin in CaMK1D-/- cells compared to CaMK1D+/+ cells using jGCamps method. Altogether, our work showed CalHM6 is a novel target of CaMK1D. High CaMK1D, leading to low CalHM6 expression, may enhance food intake and obesity by modulating calcium-dependent signaling in NPY/AgRP neuron

In this study, we have demonstrated that the preproghrelin derived hormones, ghrelin and obestatin, may play a role in ovarian cancer. Ghrelin and obestatin stimulated an increase in cell migration in ovarian cancer cell lines and may play a role in cancer progression. Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among gynaecological cancers and is the sixth most common cause of cancer-related deaths in women in developed countries. As ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose at a low tumour grade, two thirds of ovarian cancers are not diagnosed until the late stages of cancer development resulting in a poor prognosis for the patient. As a result, current treatment methods are limited and not ideal. There is an urgent need for improved diagnostic markers, as well better therapeutic approaches and adjunctive therapies for this disease. Ghrelin has a number of important physiological effects, including roles in appetite regulation and the stimulation of growth hormone release. It is also involved in regulating the immune, cardiovascular and reproductive systems and regulates sleep, memory and anxiety, and energy metabolism. Over the last decade, the ghrelin axis, (which includes the hormones ghrelin and obestatin and their receptors), has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many human diseases and it may t may also play an important role in the development of cancer. Ghrelin is a 28 amino acid peptide hormone that exists in two forms. Acyl ghrelin (usually referred to as ghrelin), has a unique n-octanoic acid post-translational modification (which is catalysed by ghrelin O-acyltransferase, GOAT), and desacyl ghrelin, which is a non-octanoylated form. Octanoylated ghrelin acts through the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHSR1a). GHSR1b, an alternatively spliced isoform of GHSR, is C-terminally truncated and does not bind ghrelin. Ghrelin has been implicated in the pathophysiology of a number of diseases Obestatin is a 23 amino acid, C-terminally amidated peptide which is derived from preproghrelin. Although GPR39 was originally thought to be the obestatin receptor this has been disproven, and its receptor remains unknown. Obestatin may have as diverse range of roles as ghrelin. Obestatin improves memory, inhibits thirst and anxiety, increases pancreatic juice secretion and has cardioprotective effects. Obestatin also has been shown to regulate cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis in some cell types. Prior to this study, little was known regarding the functions and mechanisms of action ghrelin and obestatin in ovarian cancer. In this study it was demonstrated that the full length ghrelin, GHSR1b and GOAT mRNA transcripts were expressed in all of the ovarian-derived cell lines examined (SKOV3, OV-MZ-6 and hOSE 17.1), however, these cell lines did not express GHSR1a. Ovarian cancer tissue of varying stages and normal ovarian tissue expressed the coding region for ghrelin, obestatin, and GOAT, but not GHSR1a, or GHSR1b. No correlations between cancer grade and the level of expression of these transcripts were observed. This study demonstrated for the first time that both ghrelin and obestatin increase cell migration in ovarian cancer cell lines. Treatment with ghrelin (for 72 hours) significantly increased cell migration in the SKOV3 and OV-MZ-6 ovarian cancer cell lines. Ghrelin (100 nM) stimulated cell migration in the SKOV3 (2.64 +/- 1.08 fold, p <0.05) and OV-MZ-6 (1.65 +/- 0.31 fold, p <0.05) ovarian cancer cell lines, but not in the representative normal cell line hOSE 17.1. This increase in migration was not accompanied by an increase in cell invasion through Matrigel. In contrast to other cancer types, ghrelin had no effect on proliferation. Ghrelin treatment (10nM) significantly decreased attachment of the SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell line to collagen IV (24.7 +/- 10.0 %, p <0.05), however, there were no changes in attachment to the other extracellular matrix molecules (ECM) tested (fibronectin, vitronectin and collagen I), and there were no changes in attachment to any of the ECM molecules in the OV-MZ-6 or hOSE 17.1 cell lines. It is, therefore, unclear if ghrelin plays a role in cell attachment in ovarian cancer. As ghrelin has previously been demonstrated to signal through the ERK1/2 pathway in cancer, we investigated ERK1/2 signalling in ovarian cancer cell lines. In the SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell line, a reduction in ERK1/2 phosphorylation (0.58 fold +/- 0.23, p <0.05) in response to 100 nM ghrelin treatment was observed, while no significant change in ERK1/2 signalling was seen in the OV-MZ-6 cell line with treatment. This suggests that this pathway is unlikely to be involved in mediating the increased migration seen in the ovarian cancer cell lines with ghrelin treatment. In this study ovarian cancer tissue of varying stages and normal ovarian tissue expressed the coding region for obestatin, however, no correlation between cancer grade and level of obestatin transcript expression was observed. In the ovarian-derived cell lines studied (SKOV3, OV-MZ-6 and hOSE 17.1) it was demonstrated that the full length preproghrelin mRNA transcripts were expressed in all cell lines, suggesting they have the ability to produce mature obestatin. This is the first study to demonstrate that obestatin stimulates cell migration and cell invasion. Obestatin induced a significant increase in migration in the SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell line with 10 nM (2.80 +/- 0.52 fold, p <0.05) and 100 nM treatments (3.12 +/- 0.68 fold, p <0.05) and in the OV-MZ-6 cancer cell line with 10 nM (2.04 +/- 0.10 fold, p <0.01) and 100 nM treatments (2.00 +/- 0.37 fold, p <0.05). Obestatin treatment did no affect cell migration in the hOSE 17.1normal ovarian epithelial cell line. Obestatin treatment (100 nM) also stimulated a significant increase in cell invasion in the OV-MZ-6 ovarian cancer cell line (1.45 fold +/- 0.13, p <0.05) and in the hOSE17.1 normal ovarian cell line cells (1.40 fold +/- 0.04 and 1.55 fold +/- 0.05 respectively, p <0.01) with 10 nM and 100 nM treatments. Obestatin treatment did not stimulate cell invasion in the SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell line. This lack of obestatin-stimulated invasion in the SKOV3 cell line may be a cell line specific result. In this study, obestatin did not stimulate cell proliferation in the ovarian cell lines and it has previously been shown to have no effect on cell proliferation in the BON-1 pancreatic neuroendocrine and GC rat somatotroph tumour cell lines. In contrast, obestatin has been shown to affect cell proliferation in gastric and thyroid cancer cell lines, and in some normal cell lines. Obestatin also had no effect on attachment of any of the cell lines to any of the ECM components tested (fibronectin, vitronectin, collagen I and collagen IV). The mechanism of action of obestatin was investigated further using a two dimensional-difference in gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) proteomic approach. After treatment with obestating (0, 10 and 100 nM), SKOV3 ovarian cancer and hOSE 17.1 normal ovarian cell lines were collected and 2D-DIGE analysis and mass spectrometry were performed to identify proteins that were differentially expressed in response to treatment. Twenty-six differentially expressed proteins were identified and analysed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). This linked 16 of these proteins in a network. The analysis suggested that the ERK1/2 MAPK pathway was a major mediator of obestatin action. ERK1/2 has previously been shown to be associated with obestatin-stimulated cell proliferation and with the anti-apoptotic effects of obestatin. Activation of the ERK1/2 signalling pathway by obestatin was, therefore, investigated in the SKOV3 and OV-MZ-6 ovarian cancer cell lines using anti-active antibodies and Western immunoblots. Obestatin treatment significantly decreased ERK1/2 phosphorylation at higher obestatin concentrations in both the SKOV3 (100 nM and 1000 nM) and OV-MZ-6 (1000 nM) cell lines compared to the untreated controls. Currently, very little is known about obestatin signalling in cancer. This thesis has demonstrated for the first time that the ghrelin axis may play a role in ovarian cancer migration. Ghrelin and obestatin increased cell migration in ovarian cancer cell lines, indicating that they may be a useful target for therapies that reduce ovarian cancer progression. Further studies investigating the role of the ghrelin axis using in vivo ovarian cancer metastasis models are warranted.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Western males. Current diagnostic, prognostic and treatment approaches are not ideal and advanced metastatic prostate cancer is incurable. There is an urgent need for improved adjunctive therapies and markers for this disease. GPCRs are likely to play a significant role in the initiation and progression of prostate cancer. Over the last decade, it has emerged that G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are likely to function as homodimers and heterodimers. Heterodimerisation between GPCRs can result in the formation of novel pharmacological receptors with altered functional outcomes, and a number of GPCR heterodimers have been implicated in the pathogenesis of human disease. Importantly, novel GPCR heterodimers represent potential new targets for the development of more specific therapeutic drugs. Ghrelin is a 28 amino acid peptide hormone which has a unique n-octanoic acid post-translational modification. Ghrelin has a number of important physiological roles, including roles in appetite regulation and the stimulation of growth hormone release. The ghrelin receptor is the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a, GHS-R1a, a seven transmembrane domain GPCR, and GHS-R1b is a C-terminally truncated isoform of the ghrelin receptor, consisting of five transmembrane domains. Growing evidence suggests that ghrelin and the ghrelin receptor isoforms, GHS-R1a and GHS-R1b, may have a role in the progression of a number of cancers, including prostate cancer. Previous studies by our research group have shown that the truncated ghrelin receptor isoform, GHS-R1b, is not expressed in normal prostate, however, it is expressed in prostate cancer. The altered expression of this truncated isoform may reflect a difference between a normal and cancerous state. A number of mutant GPCRs have been shown to regulate the function of their corresponding wild-type receptors. Therefore, we investigated the potential role of interactions between GHS-R1a and GHS-R1b, which are co-expressed in prostate cancer and aimed to investigate the function of this potentially new pharmacological receptor. In 2005, obestatin, a 23 amino acid C-terminally amidated peptide derived from preproghrelin was identified and was described as opposing the stimulating effects of ghrelin on appetite and food intake. GPR39, an orphan GPCR which is closely related to the ghrelin receptor, was identified as the endogenous receptor for obestatin. Recently, however, the ability of obestatin to oppose the effects of ghrelin on appetite and food intake has been questioned, and furthermore, it appears that GPR39 may in fact not be the obestatin receptor. The role of GPR39 in the prostate is of interest, however, as it is a zinc receptor. Zinc has a unique role in the biology of the prostate, where it is normally accumulated at high levels, and zinc accumulation is altered in the development of prostate malignancy. Ghrelin and zinc have important roles in prostate cancer and dimerisation of their receptors may have novel roles in malignant prostate cells. The aim of the current study, therefore, was to demonstrate the formation of GHS-R1a/GHS-R1b and GHS-R1a/GPR39 heterodimers and to investigate potential functions of these heterodimers in prostate cancer cell lines. To demonstrate dimerisation we first employed a classical co-immunoprecipitation technique. Using cells co-overexpressing FLAG- and Myc- tagged GHS-R1a, GHS-R1b and GPR39, we were able to co-immunoprecipitate these receptors. Significantly, however, the receptors formed high molecular weight aggregates. A number of questions have been raised over the propensity of GPCRs to aggregate during co-immunoprecipitation as a result of their hydrophobic nature and this may be misinterpreted as receptor dimerisation. As we observed significant receptor aggregation in this study, we used additional methods to confirm the specificity of these putative GPCR interactions. We used two different resonance energy transfer (RET) methods; bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), to investigate interactions between the ghrelin receptor isoforms and GPR39. RET is the transfer of energy from a donor fluorophore to an acceptor fluorophore when they are in close proximity, and RET methods are, therefore, applicable to the observation of specific protein-protein interactions. Extensive studies using the second generation bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET2) technology were performed, however, a number of technical limitations were observed. The substrate used during BRET2 studies, coelenterazine 400a, has a low quantum yield and rapid signal decay. This study highlighted the requirement for the expression of donor and acceptor tagged receptors at high levels so that a BRET ratio can be determined. After performing a number of BRET2 experimental controls, our BRET2 data did not fit the predicted results for a specific interaction between these receptors. The interactions that we observed may in fact represent ‘bystander BRET’ resulting from high levels of expression, forcing the donor and acceptor into close proximity. Our FRET studies employed two different FRET techniques, acceptor photobleaching FRET and sensitised emission FRET measured by flow cytometry. We were unable to observe any significant FRET, or FRET values that were likely to result from specific receptor dimerisation between GHS-R1a, GHS-R1b and GPR39. While we were unable to conclusively demonstrate direct dimerisation between GHS-R1a, GHS-R1b and GPR39 using several methods, our findings do not exclude the possibility that these receptors interact. We aimed to investigate if co-expression of combinations of these receptors had functional effects in prostate cancers cells. It has previously been demonstrated that ghrelin stimulates cell proliferation in prostate cancer cell lines, through ERK1/2 activation, and GPR39 can stimulate ERK1/2 signalling in response to zinc treatments. Additionally, both GHS-R1a and GPR39 display a high level of constitutive signalling and these constitutively active receptors can attenuate apoptosis when overexpressed individually in some cell types. We, therefore, investigated ERK1/2 and AKT signalling and cell survival in prostate cancer the potential modulation of these functions by dimerisation between GHS-R1a, GHS-R1b and GPR39. Expression of these receptors in the PC-3 prostate cancer cell line, either alone or in combination, did not alter constitutive ERK1/2 or AKT signalling, basal apoptosis or tunicamycin-stimulated apoptosis, compared to controls. In summary, the potential interactions between the ghrelin receptor isoforms, GHS-R1a and GHS-R1b, and the related zinc receptor, GPR39, and the potential for functional outcomes in prostate cancer were investigated using a number of independent methods. We did not definitively demonstrate the formation of these dimers using a number of state of the art methods to directly demonstrate receptor-receptor interactions. We investigated a number of potential functions of GPR39 and GHS-R1a in the prostate and did not observe altered function in response to co-expression of these receptors. The technical questions raised by this study highlight the requirement for the application of extensive controls when using current methods for the demonstration of GPCR dimerisation. Similar findings in this field reflect the current controversy surrounding the investigation of GPCR dimerisation. Although GHS-R1a/GHS-R1b or GHS-R1a/GPR39 heterodimerisation was not clearly demonstrated, this study provides a basis for future investigations of these receptors in prostate cancer. Additionally, the results presented in this study and growing evidence in the literature highlight the requirement for an extensive understanding of the experimental method and the performance of a range of controls to avoid the spurious interpretation of data gained from artificial expression systems. The future development of more robust techniques for investigating GPCR dimerisation is clearly required and will enable us to elucidate whether GHS-R1a, GHS-R1b and GPR39 form physiologically relevant dimers.

Die Belastung des Energiestoffwechsels der Hochleistungskuh ist in der peripartalen Phase am größten. Die Regulation der Futteraufnahme und des Energiestoffwechsels durch den Nucleus arcuatus (ARC) des Hypothalamus spielt eine entscheidende Rolle während dieser Phase. Zahlreiche Metabolite und Hormone, wie z.B. das Peptidhormon Ghrelin, beeinflussen die Expression des orexigenen (futteraufnahmesteigernden) Neuropeptids Agouti-related Protein (AgRP) im ARC des Hypothalamus. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, den Zusammenhang zwischen Körperfettmobilisierung und orexigenen Signalen im peripartalen Zeitraum der Hochleistungskuh näher zu untersuchen. Hierfür wurden 20 multipare Hochleistungskühe der Rasse Deutsch-Holstein (2.-4. Laktation) 7 Wochen ante partum (ap) bis 6 Wochen post partum (pp) untersucht. Die Tiere wurden in Anbindehaltung aufgestallt und entsprechend der jeweiligen Produktionsperiode bedarfsgerecht energetisch versorgt. Die ad libitum Futteraufnahme und Milchleistung wurden täglich gemessen und die Milchzusammensetzung wöchentlich analysiert. Das Körpergewicht und die Rückenfettdicke (RFD) wurden ebenfalls wöchentlich bestimmt. Einmal wöchentlich wurden Blutproben genommen, um die Konzentration von nicht-veresterten Fettsäuren (NEFA), Triglyceriden (TG) und Aminosäuren zu bestimmen. Eine Leberbiopsie wurde am 34. Tag ap und am 3., 18. und 30. Tag pp entnommen. In der 5. Woche ap und in der 2. Woche pp wurden die Tiere in eine Respirationskammer eingestallt und darin jeweils am 1. Tag ad libitum versorgt, während ihnen am 2. Tag das Futter für 10 h entzogen wurde. Die Futteraufnahme bzw. die kompensatorische Futteraufnahme nach Futterentzug wurden ebenfalls gemessen. Mit Hilfe der indirekten Kalorimetrie wurden der Sauerstoffverbrauch, die Bildung von Kohlenstoffdioxid und Methan gemessen, und der Respiratorische Quotient (RQ), die Fettoxidation (FOX) und die Kohlenhydratoxidation (KOX) berechnet. An beiden Tagen des Aufenthaltes in der Respirationskammer wurden stündlich Blutproben entnommen und die Konzentration von Acyl- und Gesamtghrelin, NEFA und TG bestimmt. Am 40. Tag pp wurden die Tiere geschlachtet und der ARC entnommen. In Studie 1 wurden 16 Tiere, basierend auf ihren Leberfettgehalt (LFC) am 18. Tag pp in eine Gruppe mit hohem LFC (H, n=8) und eine mit niedrigem LFC (L, n=8) eingeteilt. Für die Studie 2 wurden 18 Kühe entsprechend ihrer NEFA-Blutplasmakonzentration am Schlachttag in eine Gruppe mit hoher NEFA- (H, n=9) und eine mit niedriger NEFA-Plasmakonzentration (L, n=9) eingeteilt. In Studie 1 konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Acyl- und Gesamtghrelin- Plasmakonzentrationen nicht mit der pp Futteraufnahmesteigerung von Hochleistungskühen korrelierten. H-Kühe, die im Vergleich zu L-Kühen einen höheren Leber- und Milchfettgehalt, eine größere RFD und einen geringeren RQ aufwiesen, zeigten während des 10-stündigen Futterentzuges den größeren Anstieg der Acylghrelinkonzentration sowie ein größeres Acyl- und Gesamtghrelin-Verhältnis. Signifikante Korrelationen zwischen dem präprandialen Acyl:Gesamtghrelin- Verhältnis und zahlreichen Parametern des Fettstoffwechsels, wie bspw. LFC, Milchfettgehalt, RQ und RFD, lassen einen Zusammenhang zwischen Ghrelin, dem Fettstoffwechsel und der Fettverteilung erkennen. In Studie 2 konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass die in der Frühlaktation auftretende unterschiedliche Aktivierung hypothalamischer AgRP-Neurone von H- und L-Kühen nicht mit deren Futteraufnahme assoziiert ist. Die höhere NEFA-Plasmakonzentration, die höhere RFD, die höhere FOX und der höhere Sauerstoffverbrauch der H-Kühe waren jeweils signifikant mit der geringeren Aktivierung hypothalamischer AgRP-Neurone korreliert. Diese Korrelationen belegen einen Zusammenhang zwischen dem prozentualen Anteil aktivierter AgRP-Neurone und dem Sauerstoffverbrauch sowie der Substratverstoffwechselung während der Frühlaktation. Zusammenfassend lässt sich schlussfolgern, dass die untersuchten Signale des orexigenen Systems im peripartalen Zeitraum der Hochleistungskuh nicht mit der Futteraufnahme, jedoch mit dem Fett- und Energiestoffwechsel assoziiert waren. Ferner lassen die Resultate den Schluss zu, dass die Futteraufnahme bereits vor der Kalbung durch den Körperfettgehalt determiniert ist, und dass die Fettmobilisierung per se kaum einen Einfluss auf die Futteraufnahmesteigerung in der Frühlaktation besitzt.

Tese de doutoramento em Biologia, na especialidade de Biologia Celular, apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra.
Peptide hormones such as insulin, leptin and ghrelin are well known for their role in the regulation of appetite. Recent evidence suggests that these peptides, in addition to acting on the hypothalamus to modulate food intake, may play wider roles in modulating brain functions. Ghrelin, a 28 amino acids peptide, is a regulator of growth hormone release, and an appetite-stimulating hormone, secreted from the empty stomach. Recent data show that ghrelin enters the hippocampus, enhancing hippocampal-dependent memory processes. Thus, ghrelin may represent the molecular link between learning capabilities associated to feeding behavior and energy metabolism, ensuring the ability to locate food sources, remember those locations, and recall whether all available food has been consumed, which are evolutionarily important skills for survival. However the molecular mechanisms that underlie the effects of ghrelin as a hippocampal cognitive enhancer are still not completely understood. Immunocytochemistry analysis showed that the ghrelin receptor presents a punctate distribution in hippocampal cultured neurons, with a significant population of ghrelin receptors localized to glutamatergic synapses. Moreover, the ghrelin receptor was found in synaptic fractions obtained from adult rat hippocampi. This synaptic localization of the ghrelin receptor suggests a possible involvement of ghrelin in modulating excitatory synaptic transmission. To start testing this hypothesis hippocampal cultured neurons were treated with a ghrelin receptor agonist (MK-0677) and quantitative immunofluorescence analysis was performed to analyze the synaptic cell surface expression of GluA1, a subunit of the AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs). Treatment with MK-0677 led to an increase in cell surface GluA1 levels colocalized with an excitatory synaptic marker. To directly determine whether ghrelin induces the delivery of new AMPARs into synapses, the GFP-tagged GluA1 subunit (GluA1-GFP) was expressed in CA1 neurons in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. Slice treatment with ghrelin or with the ghrelin receptor agonist increased the synaptic delivery of homomeric GluA1-GFP AMPARs in activitydependent manner. These data strongly suggest that activation of the orexigenic ghrelin hormone receptor induces synaptic delivery of GluA1-containing AMPARs. To test whether ghrelin receptor activation produces a functional change at excitatory CA3-CA1 synapse, organotypic hippocampal slices were treated with the ghrelin receptor agonist and electrophysiological recordings were performed. Synaptic responses were evoked, and the ratios between AMPA/NMDA and NMDA/GABA currents recorded from CA1 neurons were calculated. The AMPA/NMDA ratio of synaptic responses significantly increased after MK-0677 treatment, while the NMDA/GABA ratio was found to be unaltered. Altogether, these results suggest that the ghrelin receptor activation increases AMPARs-mediated synaptic transmission in the hippocampus, by inducing delivery of GluA1-containing AMPARs receptors into synapses. Moreover, we found that MK-0677 treatment dramatically enhanced NMDARsdependent long-term potentiation (LTP) expression in the hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapse. Agonist application also increased the synaptic trafficking of endogenous GluA1-containing AMPARs in hippocampal cultured neurons upon chemical LTP induction (a model for LTP in hippocampal cultures). These findings suggest that ghrelin receptor activation increases the AMPARs delivery to synapses, facilitating the expression of LTP-like events. Given that changes in synaptic strength are considered the cellular substrate for memory storage in the brain, the effect of ghrelin receptor activation on hippocampal synaptic plasticity may underlie the cognition enhancing properties of ghrelin. The changes in AMPARs trafficking, and consequent functional alterations in hippocampal excitatory synaptic transmission and LTP expression, triggered by ghrelin receptor activation, were accompanied by increases in the phosphorylation of GluA1, as well as in the AMPARs-associated protein stargazin. Moreover, we observed an increase in the activation of the signalling pathways responsible for the phosphorylation of these molecular targets, which are known to be required for the induction of AMPARs synaptic trafficking, and for LTP expression. Finally, we obtained evidence for a developmentally regulated function of ghrelin receptor activation on AMPARs-mediated synaptic transmission. Whereas in young hippocampal slices the action of the ghrelin receptor is dependent on ligand-dependent activation, in more mature hippocampal slices the constitutive activity of the ghrelin receptor regulates AMPAR-mediated transmission. In conclusion, these findings point to a scenario in which the cognitive enhancing properties of ghrelin are likely mediated by its potential to increase the synaptic trafficking of GluA1-containing AMPARs, one of the most well characterized cellular processes required for the long lasting changes in synaptic strength underlying learning and memory formation.
Hormonas peptídicas como a insulina, leptina e grelina são sobretudo conhecidas pela sua função na regulação do apetite. No entanto evidências experimentais recentes têm sugerido que estes peptídeos, para além da sua função no hipotálamo como moduladores do apetite, podem também desempenhar amplos papéis na modulação das funções cerebrais. A grelina, um peptídeo de 28 aminoácidos, é um regulador da libertação da hormona de crescimento, e um estimulador do apetite secretado a partir do estômago vazio. Observações experimentais recentes demonstram que a grelina entra no hipocampo, melhorando processos de memória dependentes desta estrutura cerebral. Deste modo, a grelina pode representar a associação molecular entre capacidades de aprendizagem e o comportamento alimentar e metabolismo energético. Esta associação poderá ser importante no sentido de assegurar a capacidade de localizar fontes de alimento, de recordar tais locais e se todo o alimento disponível foi consumido. Estas capacidades constituem importantes aptidões evolutivas que permitem a sobrevivência. Contudo, os mecanismos moleculares que estão na base dos efeitos da grelina como agente potenciador das capacidades cognitivas relacionadas com o hipocampo não se encontram ainda completamente esclarecidos. Estudos de imunocitoquímica demonstraram que o receptor da grelina apresenta uma distribuição ponteada em neurónios do hipocampo em cultura, com uma fracção significativa do receptor a localizar-se em sinapses glutamatérgicas. Além disso, o receptor da grelina foi identificado em fracções sinápticas purificadas a partir de hipocampo de ratos adultos. Este padrão de localização sináptica do receptor da grelina sugere uma possível função da grelina na modulação da transmissão sináptica excitatória. Para testar esta hipótese começámos por tratar culturas de neurónios do hipocampo com um agonista do receptor da grelina (MK-0677), e realizámos uma análise de imunofluorescência quantitativa com o objectivo de avaliar a expressão superficial sináptica de GluA1, uma subunidade dos receptores de glutamato do tipo AMPA (AMPARs). Recorrendo a esta abordagem experimental observámos que o tratamento com MK-0677 levou a um aumento dos níveis de GluA1 à superfície dos neurónios e na sinapse. Com o objectivo de determinar directamente se a grelina induz a inserção de novos AMPARs na sinapse, a subunidade GluA1 ligada a GFP (GluA1-GFP) foi expressa em neurónios da região CA1 em fatias organotípicas do hipocampo. Observámos que o tratamento com grelina, ou com o agonista do receptor da grelina, aumentam a inserção sináptica de AMPARs homoméricos contendo GluA1-GFP. Estes resultados sugerem fortemente que a activação do receptor da grelina induz a inserção sináptica de AMPARs que contêm a subunidade GluA1. Com o objectivo de verificar se a activação do receptor da grelina produz uma alteração funcional na sinapse CA3-CA1 do hipocampo, fatias organotípicas foram incubadas com o agonista, e em seguida foram realizados registos electrofisiológicos. Após a indução de respostas sinápticas a partir de neurónios da região CA1, os rácios entre as correntes mediadas por receptores do tipo AMPA/NMDA e NMDA/GABA foram calculados. Observámos que o rácio entre as correntes AMPA/NMDA aumentou após o tratamento com MK-0677, enquanto o rácio entre as correntes NMDA/GABA não se alterou. No seu conjunto, estes resultados demonstram que a activação do receptor da grelina aumenta a transmissão sináptica mediada por receptores do tipo AMPA no hipocampo, através da inserção sináptica de AMPARs que contêm GluA1. Observámos também que o tratamento com MK-0677 aumenta dramaticamente a expressão da potenciação de longa duração (LTP) dependente de receptores de glutamato do tipo NMDA na sinapse CA3-CA1 do hipocampo. Além disso, verificámos que após indução de LTP químico (um modelo de LTP para neurónios do hipocampo em cultura), em neurónios previamente sujeitos ao agonista, existe um aumento do endereçamento sináptico de receptores endógenos do tipo AMPA contendo a subunidade GluA1. Este resultado experimental demonstra que a activação do receptor da grelina aumenta a inserção sináptica de AMPARs, o que leva à facilitação da expressão de eventos relacionados com LTP. Uma vez que alterações na força sináptica são consideradas como sendo o alvo celular para o armazenamento de memória no cérebro, o efeito da activação do receptor da grelina na plasticidade sináptica do hipocampo poderá justificar a acção da grelina como um agente potenciador da cognição. As alterações causadas pela activação do receptor da grelina, no tráfego de receptores do tipo AMPA e que alteram as características funcionais da transmissão sináptica excitatória e a expressão de LTP, foram acompanhadas por aumentos quer na fosforilação de GluA1, quer na fosforilação de uma proteína associada aos receptores do tipo AMPA, designada por stargazina. Além disso, observámos também a activação das vias de sinalização responsáveis pela fosforilação destes alvos moleculares, os quais se sabe serem necessários para a indução de inserção sináptica de AMPARs e expressão de LTP. Finalmente, obtivemos evidências que indicam que a função do receptor da grelina na regulação da transmissão sináptica mediada por receptores do tipo AMPA no hipocampo é regulada ao longo do desenvolvimento. Enquanto em fatias organotípicas do hipocampo mais jovens as acções mediadas pelo receptor são dependentes do ligando, em fatias mais velhas é a actividade constitutiva do receptor da grelina que regula a transmissão mediada por AMPARs. Em conclusão as observações experimentais aqui descritas sugerem que as propriedades da grelina como agente potenciador da cognição são mediadas pela sua capacidade de aumentar a inserção sináptica de receptores do tipo AMPA que contêm GluA1 no hipocampo. Este processo celular é um dos mais bem caracterizados como sendo necessário para as alterações de longa duração na força sináptica que estão na base da formação de memória e aprendizagem.

Ghrelin has been established as a hunger hormone because of its role in weight regulation and appetite stimulation. However, recent studies have uncovered a role for ghrelin in the modulation of negative emotional states like fear, anxiety and depression. The unusually high constitutive activity of the ghrelin receptor, growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHSR1a) and its extensive ability to dimerize with other neuromodulatory receptors highlights the complexity of ghrelin receptor signaling. This led us to examine one of the essential constituents of this signaling mechanism. We exogenously administered GHSR1a into the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA), a region known to regulate negative emotional states. The Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigm was used to observe and compare the fear response of rats injected with GHSR1a and GFP to the fear response in rats injected with GFP alone. Our analyses revealed a significant attenuation of aversive memory recall in rats injected with GHSR1a and GFP, which suggests that increased ghrelin receptor signaling due to an overexpression of GHSR1a in the BLA impairs the consolidation and retrieval of conditioned fear memory. While other constituents of the ghrelin signaling mechanism remain to be investigated, our study provides an initial step in establishing ghrelin as a novel biomarker for stress-induced fear disorders.

Dopamine receptor subtypes and incentive learning explains that dopamine receptors are G protein-coupled and form two families: D1-like receptors, including D1 and D5, stimulate adenylyl cyclase and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP); D2-like receptors, including D2, D3, and D4, inhibit cAMP. Antipsychotic medications are dopamine receptor antagonists and their clinical potency is strongly correlated with blockade of D2 receptors, implicating overactivity of D2 receptors in psychosis in schizophrenia. D1- and D2-like receptors appear to be involved in unconditioned locomotor activity and incentive learning. D1-like receptors are implicated more strongly in incentive learning and D2-like receptors more strongly in locomotion. D3 receptors may play a relatively greater role in expression than acquisition of incentive learning. Dopamine receptor subtypes form heteromers with each other and with the receptors of other neurotransmitters (e.g., glutamate, adenosine, ghrelin) and the signaling properties of these heteromers can differ from those of either receptor in isolation.

Death by cancer cachexia is dependent on the time allotted to cancer to cause muscle and fat wasting. If clinicians, nurses, researchers can prolong the life of a cancer patient other therapeutic interventions such as radiation and chemotherapy may be given the time to work and rid the cancer patient of tumors and save lives. Three areas by which cancer induces cachexia is through impaired insulin-like growth factor signaling, elevations in the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 and subsequent reductions in muscle protein synthesis and increases in muscle protein degradation. Therefore, it is important to augment the IGF-1 signaling, block TNF-α and IL-6 in cancer cachexia and in other ways augment muscle protein synthesis or decrease muscle protein degradation. Ghrelin like growth hormone secretagogues, monoclonal antibodies to TNF-α and IL-6, testosterone, and anabolic steroids, the beta 2 agonist albuterol, resistance exercise, and creatine monohydrate (with resistance exercise) are beneficial in increasing muscle protein synthesis and/or reducing muscle protein breakdown. With these muscle augmenting agents/interventions, the duration that a cancer patient lives is prolonged so that radiation and chemotherapy as well as emerging technologies can rid the cancer patient of cancer and save lives.

Introduction: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a condition of the brain that consiste of the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, therefore causing dyskinesias and dystonias. Besides the motor symptoms, the neurogastro motility is affected by the disease, since gastrointestinal dysfunction is a frequent and clinically relevant symptom of PD. Objectives: To link the neural pathways and neurotransmitters that involve the neuroenteric system control and the PD’s pathology. Methods: A systematic literature review was performed based on data extraction through the advanced research engine from Pubmed. Publications with the descriptors “dysmotility” OR “gastro motility” AND “Parkinson” were selected. Results: Through clinical and pre-clinical studies on PD, there has been hypothesized a gut-brain axis that is connected through hormones, neurotransmitters and dopamanergic inputs. This hypothesis is supported by evidence in the showing of accumulation of alpha-synuclein in the vagal system and Enteric Nervous System, the use of drugs such as peripheral dopaminergic blockers and serotonin for gastroparesis, the ghrelin effects on the central dopaminergic system through modulation of the mesencephalic dopaminergic signaling tested on rats, the gastrointestinal autonomic neuropathy detected in PD patients and the establishment of gut dysmotility before motor onset symptoms. Therefore, dysmotility isues such as delayed gastric emptying may not only be a symptom of PD, but also contrubute to the pathogenesis itself through impaired signaling. Conclusion: The gut-brain axis can be not only a tool for PD diagnosis but also a treatment target to restrain the advance of the disease. Although many articles are related this subject, there is a lack of designed trials for atypical movement disorders. To explore the dysmotility in PD, there is a need for multi-modality standardized tests to evaluate severity and prevalence.