Growth hormone secretagogue receptor

Growth hormone secretagogue receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor which binds ghrelin.

This gene encodes a member of the G-protein coupled receptor family. The encoded protein may play a role in energy homeostasis and regulation of body weight. GHSR1a regulates the activation of the downstream mitogen-activated protein kinase, Akt, nitric oxide synthase, and AMPK cascades in different cellular systems. One of the important features of GHSR1a displays constitutive activity possessing basal activity in the absence of an agonist, resulting in a high degree of receptor internalization as well as of signaling activity. Inverse agonists for the ghrelin receptor could be particularly interesting for the treatment of obesity. This activity seems to provide a tonic signal required for the development of normal height, probably through an effect on the GH axis.Two identified transcript variants are expressed in several tissues and are evolutionary conserved in fish and swine. One transcript, 1a, excises an intron and encodes the functional protein; this protein is the receptor for the Ghrelin ligand and defines a neuroendocrine pathway for growth hormone release. The second transcript (1b) retains the intron and does not function as a receptor for Ghrelin; however, it may function to attenuate activity of isoform 1a.