Ghrelin and the growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHS-R1a) are important targets for disorders related to energy balance and metabolic regulation. Pharmacological control of ghrelin signaling is a promising avenue to address health issues involving appetite, weight gain, obesity, and related metabolic disorders, and may be an option for patients suffering from wasting conditions like cachexia. In this review, we summarize recent developments in the biochemistry of ghrelin and GHS-R1a signaling. These include unravelling the enzymatic transformations that generate active ghrelin and the discovery of multiple proteins that interact with ghrelin and GHS-R1a to regulate signaling. Furthermore, we propose that harnessing these processes will lead to highly selective treatments to address obesity, diabetes, and other metabolism-linked disorders.

中文翻译：

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Ghrelin 信号转导：GOAT 和 GHS-R1a 在复杂性上实现飞跃

Ghrelin 和生长激素促分泌素受体 1a (GHS-R1a) 是与能量平衡和代谢调节相关的疾病的重要靶标。ghrelin 信号的药理学控制是解决涉及食欲、体重增加、肥胖和相关代谢紊乱等健康问题的一个有前途的途径，并且可能是患有恶病质等消耗性疾病的患者的一种选择。在这篇综述中，我们总结了生长素释放肽和 GHS-R1a 信号传导的生物化学的最新进展。这些包括解开产生活性生长素释放肽的酶促转化，以及发现与生长素释放肽和 GHS-R1a 相互作用以调节信号传导的多种蛋白质。此外，我们建议利用这些过程将导致高度选择性的治疗，以解决肥胖、糖尿病和其他与代谢相关的疾病。