Ghrelin receptor GHS-R polyclonal antibody

Ghrelin is a multifunctional peptide hormone secreted from the anterior pituitary known to affect many physiological processes including the release of growth hormone, appetite regulation, gastric acid secretion, gastrointestinal motility, and blood pressure regulation. The 28 amino acid ghrelin peptide is modified at Ser3 by addition of a fatty acid group (i.e., n-octanoyl) that is essential for its biological activity. The ghrelin receptor (GHS-R) is a seven transmembrane (7-TM) GPCR that is expressed in the hippocampus, pituitary, and hypothalamus, as well as in peripheral tissues including the heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas, intestines, and immune cells. Ghrelin signals are primarily relayed via coupling of the GHS-R to Gq/11 alpha subunits, promoting stimulation of phospholipase C, and an increase in intracellular calcium. Stimulation of adenylyl cyclases and increased cAMP are also induced by GHS-R activation. In humans and swine, two splice variants of the ghrelin receptor are expressed from the same gene. The GHS-R 1(a) receptor is the 366 amino acid, 7-TM form, while GHS-R 1(b) is a 289 amino acid, 5-TM form that is truncated at the C-terminus and is pharmacologically inactive. The epitope recognized by this antibody is unaffected by alternative splicing.