Des-acyl ghrelin induces food intake by a mechanism independent of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor

Ghrelin, an acylated peptide produced predominantly in the stomach, stimulates feeding and GH secretion via interactions with the GH secretagogue type 1a receptor (GHS-R1a), the functionally active form of the GHS-R. Ghrelin molecules exist in the stomach and hypothalamus as two major endogenous forms, a form acylated at serine 3 (ghrelin) and a des-acylated form (des-acyl ghrelin). Acylation is indispensable for the binding of ghrelin to the GHS-R1a. Ghrelin enhances feeding via the neuronal pathways of neuropeptide Y and orexin, which act as orexigenic peptides in the hypothalamus. We here studied the effect of des-acyl ghrelin on feeding behavior. Intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of rat des-acyl ghrelin to rats or mice fed ad libitum stimulated feeding during the light phase; neither ip nor icv administration of des-acyl ghrelin to fasting mice suppressed feeding. The icv administration of des-acyl ghrelin induced the expression of Fos, a marker of neuronal activation, in orexin-expressing neurons of the lateral hypothalamic area, but not neuropeptide Y-expressing neurons of the arcuate nucleus. Peripheral administration of des-acyl ghrelin to rats or mice did not affect feeding. Although icv administration of ghrelin did not induce food intake in GHS-R-deficient mice, it did in orexin-deficient mice. In contrast, icv administration of des-acyl ghrelin stimulated feeding in GHS-R-deficient mice, but not orexin-deficient mice. Des-acyl ghrelin increased the intracellular calcium concentrations in isolated orexin neurons. Central desacyl ghrelin may activate orexin-expressing neurons, perhaps functioning in feeding regulation through interactions with a target protein distinct from the GHS-R.