The peptide ghrelin, one of the cleavage products of prepropeptide produced from the GHRL (growth hormone-releasing peptide) gene, functions in stimulating food intake and controlling energy balance. It has potent stimulating effects on the secretion of growth hormone. GHRL serves as an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1α (GHSR 1α). The protein regulates body weight on long-term and appetite on short-term. Preadipocyte differentiation stimulated by ghrelin is found to increase BMI and negatively regulate the anorexigenic effect of leptin. Polymorphism in the GHRL gene is linked to variations in blood pressure, high-density lipoproteins, low-density lipoproteins, serum cholesterol, blood glucose and metabolic syndrome.
