Immunohistochemical and quantitative analysis of ghrelin in Syzygium aromaticum.

Ghrelin, an endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, has been identified in mammals, fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles and some plants. The present investigation was designed to determine whether ghrelin is present in the appetite-stimulating plants Syzygium aromaticum and Salvadora persica, using IHC (immunohistochemistry) to indicate the location of the peptide and ELISA to measure the concentration. ELISA demonstrated that a ghrelin-like substance was present at concentrations of 4070.75±664.67 and 75.25±24.49 pg/mg in the tissues of flower bud of S. aromaticum and branch of S. persica, respectively. The concentration of ghrelin in human salivary gland tissue was 436.00±95.83 pg/mg. Ghrelin was predominantly localized to the T (trachea) and PCs (parenchyma cells) in the flower bud of S. aromaticum. However, no ghrelin immunoreactivity was observed in the PC or T of the branch of S. persica. The evolutionary role of this peptide hormone in plants and animals suggests that they have evolved in a more similar way than previously thought.

LC-MS/MS assay coupled with carboxylic acid magnetic bead affinity capture to quantitatively measure cationic host defense peptides (HDPs) in complex matrices with application to preclinical pharmacokinetic studies.

Synthetic host defense peptides (HDP) are a new class of promising therapeutic agents with potential application in a variety of diseases. RP-182 is a 10mer synthetic HDP design, which selectively reduces M2-like tumor associated macrophages via engagement with the cell surface lectin receptor MRC1/CD206 and is currently being developed as an innate immune defense regulator to improve anti-tumor immunity in immunologically cold tumors. Herein, we describe a sensitive and specific liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to quadrupole electron spray tandem mass spectrometry method to measure positively charged HDPs and HDP peptide fragments in complex biological matrices. Carboxylic acid magnetic beads were used as an affinity-capturing agent to extract the positively charged RP-182 from both mouse plasma and tissue homogenates. Beads were eluted with 0.1% (v/v) formic acid and chromatographic separation was achieved on a Waters 2.1 × 100 mm, 3.5 µm XSelect Peptide CSH C18 column with a Vanguard pre-column of the same phase. MS/MS was performed on a Thermo TSQ Quantiva triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operating in Selected Reaction Monitoring (SRM) mode fragmenting the plus three parent ion 458.9+3 and monitoring ions 624.0+2, 550.5+2, and 597.3+1 for RP-182 and 462.4+3 > 629.1+2, 555.5+2, and 607.3+1 for isotopic RP-182 standard. The assay had good linearity ranging from 1 ng to 1000 ng in mouse plasma with the lower limit of detection for RP-182 at 1 ng in mouse plasma with good intra- and inter-sample precision and accuracy. Recovery ranged from 66% to 77% with minimum matrix effects. The method was successfully applied to an abbreviated pharmacokinetic study in mice after single IP injection of RP-182. The method was successfully tested on a second HDP, the 17mer D4E1, and the cationic human peptide hormone ghrelin suggesting that it might be a general sensitive method applicable to quantifying HDP peptides that are difficult to extract.

Ghrelin-like peptide with fatty acid modification and O-glycosylation in the red stingray, Dasyatis akajei.

BACKGROUND: Ghrelin (GRLN) is now known to be an appetite-stimulating and growth hormone (GH)-releasing peptide that is predominantly synthesized and secreted from the stomachs of various vertebrate species from fish to mammals. Here, we report a GRLN-like peptide (GRLN-LP) in a cartilaginous fish, the red stingray, Dasyatis akajei. RESULTS: The purified peptide contains 16 amino acids (GVSFHPQPRS10TSKPSA), and the serine residue at position 3 is modified by n-octanoic acid. The modification is the characteristic of GRLN. The six N-terminal amino acid residues (GVSFHP) were identical to another elasmobranch shark GRLN-LP that was recently identified although it had low identity with other GRLN peptides. Therefore, we designated this peptide stingray GRLN-LP. Uniquely, stingray GRLN-LP was O-glycosylated with mucin-type glycan chains [N-acetyl hexosamine (HexNAc)3 hexose(Hex)2] at threonine at position 11 (Thr-11) or both serine at position 10 (Ser-10) and Thr-11. Removal of the glycan structure by O-glycanase made the in vitro activity of stingray GRLN-LP decreased when it was evaluated by the increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations using a rat GHS-R1a-expressing cell line, suggesting that the glycan structure plays an important role for maintaining the activity of stingray GRLN-LP. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals the structural diversity of GRLN and GRLN-LP in vertebrates.

Lipopeptides as therapeutics: applications and in vivo quantitative analysis.

A number of novel lipopeptides have been studied for their possible therapeutic potential. These studies should be supported by the appropriate analytical tools not only for novel potential drugs but also for their metabolites, precursors and side products. Lipopeptides have specific physicochemical properties that make them successful in medical applications. However, there are some difficulties with their qualitative and quantitative analyses in biological samples. Therefore, reliable, sensitive and robust analytical methods are in high demand. The main interest of our review is to describe a selection of specific and important properties of lipopeptides, and the analytical methods currently utilized for their characterization and determination in biological samples. A comparison of the pros and cons of immunomethods versus LC-MS methods is discussed in detail.

Soy-ghretropin, a novel ghrelin-releasing peptide derived from soy protein.

We investigated exogenous secretagogues of ghrelin, which is an orexigenic hormone isolated from the stomach. We found that the tryptic digest of soy ß-conglycinin stimulated ghrelin secretion by the ghrelin-producing cell line, MGN3-1. We then identified a 22-amino acid peptide corresponding to the ß-conglycinin α-subunit(192-213) [ßCGα(192-213)] from an active fraction separated by HPLC. The N-terminal undecapeptide of ßCGα(192-213), NKNPFLFGSNR, exhibited ghrelin-releasing activity at a lower dose than that of ßCGα(192-213). We named NKNPFLFGSNR 'soy-ghretropin', which corresponds to ßCGα(192-202). Neither [des-N(1) K(2) ]-soy-ghretropin nor [des-R(11) ]-soy-ghretropin stimulated ghrelin secretion; hence, both the N- and C-terminal structures of soy-ghretropin were indispensable. Orally administered soy-ghretropin increased plasma ghrelin levels and food intake in vivo. Soy-ghretropin is the first exogenous ghrelin-releasing peptide derived from food protein.

Prandial ghrelin attenuation provides evidence that des-acyl ghrelin may be an artifact of sample handling in human plasma.

BACKGROUND: Plasma acyl and des-acyl ghrelin are thought of as components of total ghrelin, but this has never been validated using ex vivo spiking experiments, human sample collection comparisons and fit-for-purpose translatable assays. RESULTS: Acyl ghrelin plasma stability was analyzed by LC-MS/MS and it revealed that acyl ghrelin is enzymatically and chemically converted to des-acyl ghrelin in the presence of active serine proteases and HCl. ELISAs with less than 30% total error were used to assess acyl ghrelin behavior in matched authentic human samples. Acyl and total ghrelin were not statistically different in 4-(2-aminoethyl)benzenesulfonyl fluoride hydrochloride samples and acyl ghrelin losses in K(2)EDTA plasma were accounted for in des-acyl ghrelin formation. CONCLUSION: Acyl ghrelin is total ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin should not be detectible in healthy human plasma under optimal sample handling and assaying conditions.

Purification of rat and human ghrelins.

Small synthetic molecules called growth hormone secretagogues (GHSs) stimulate the release of growth hormone (GH) from the pituitary. They act through the GHS-R, a G-protein-coupled receptor highly expressed in the hypothalamus and pituitary. Using an orphan receptor strategy with a stable cell line expressing GHS-R, we purified endogenous ligands for GHS-R from rat and human stomach and named it "ghrelin," after a word root (ghre) in Proto-Indo-European languages meaning "grow." Ghrelin is a peptide hormone in which the third amino acid, usually a serine but in some species a threonine, is modified by a fatty acid; this modification is essential for ghrelin's activity. The main active form of rat ghrelin is 28-amino acid peptides with n-octanoyl modification. In rat stomach, a second type of ghrelin peptide was purified, identified as des-Gln14-ghrelin. With the exception of the deletion of Gln14, des-Gln14-ghrelin is identical to ghrelin, retaining the n-octanoic acid modification. Des-Gln14-ghrelin is encoded by an mRNA created by alternative splicing of the ghrelin gene. As in the rat, the major active form of human ghrelin is a 28-amino acid peptide with an n-octanoylated Ser3. However, in human stomach, several minor forms of human ghrelin peptides have been isolated. These can be classified into four groups by the type of acylation observed at Ser3 and into two groups by the amino acids in length. The discovery of ghrelin indicates that the release of GH from the pituitary and appetite stimulation might be regulated by ghrelin derived from the stomach.

Variety of acyl modifications in mammalian ghrelins.

Ghrelin, a 28-amino acid-long peptide with an n-octanoyl modification at Ser(3), has been isolated from rat and human stomachs as an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor. It is very important to study the ghrelin from mammals (especially, domestic animals) that serve as human companions, food resources, and model organisms. We purified feline and caprine ghrelin and observed that the administration of synthetic ghrelin increased plasma growth hormone (GH) levels in cats and goats. Therefore, we believe that ghrelin may play important roles in GH release in mammals.

Determination of nonmammalian ghrelin.

Ghrelin is a peptide with a unique molecular modification by a fatty acid such as n-octanoic acid. The acyl modification is necessary for ghrelin to bind to its receptor (growth hormone secretagogue-receptor 1a, GHS-R1a) and to induce subsequent intracellular Ca(2+) signaling. Ghrelin is widely expressed in mammals as well as in nonmammalian vertebrates. In our laboratory, a method for efficient purification of ghrelin from a small amount of tissues has been established. Here, we introduce the identification process of ghrelin in nonmammalian vertebrates.

Enzymatic characterization of GOAT, ghrelin O-acyltransferase.

Ghrelin is a gastric peptide hormone in which serine 3 (threonine 3 in frogs) is modified primarily by an n-octanoic acid; this modification is essential for ghrelin's activity. The enzyme that transfers n-octanoic acid to the third serine residue of ghrelin peptide has been identified and named GOAT for ghrelin O-acyltransferase. GOAT is the only known enzyme that catalyzes the acyl modification of ghrelin and specifically modifies the third amino acid serine and does not modify other serine residues in ghrelin peptides. GOAT prefers n-hexanoyl-CoA over n-octanoyl-CoA as the acyl donor, although in the stomach n-octanoyl form is the main acyl-modified ghrelin and the concentration of n-hexanoyl form is very low. Moreover, a four-amino acid peptide derived from the N-terminal sequence of ghrelin can be modified by GOAT, indicating that these four amino acids constitute the core motif for substrate recognition by the enzyme.

Ghrelin acylation by ingestion of medium-chain fatty acids.

We found in a primary study that ingestion of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) or medium-chain triacylglycerols (MCTs) increased the stomach contents of acyl ghrelin, and we further showed that the carbon-chain length of the acyl groups that modified the nascent ghrelin peptides corresponded to that of the ingested MCFAs or MCTs. These findings clearly demonstrated that the ingested MCFAs are directly used for the acyl-modification of ghrelin. Before the discovery of ghrelin-O-acyltransferase (GOAT), our in vivo study suggested that the putative GOAT preferred MCTs (composed of C6:0 to C10:0 FFAs) to either short- or long-chain triglycerides. In another study, we suggested that MCFAs or MCTs might represent a potential therapeutic modality for the clinical manipulation of energy metabolism through the modulation of ghrelin activity. After the discovery of GOAT, many studies have been done on the acylation of ghrelin using MCFAs, MCTs, or their derivatives; however, results and interpretations have been inconsistent, largely due to the differences in experimental conditions. This chapter describes detailed methods for the analysis of ghrelin acylation in vivo to facilitate future research in this field.

Synthesis of ghrelin: chemical synthesis and semisynthesis for large-scale preparation of modified peptides.

Most biologically active peptide hormones, including ghrelin, undergo numerous posttranslational modifications and play many crucial roles in nature. Medium- or large-scale preparation methods are required to understand their biological functions and potential applications in life sciences and the biomedical fields. Since ghrelin has an O-acyl modification in its Ser3, recombinant expression for its production has not solely been employed thus far. In this chapter, we provide two distinct protocols for the preparation of human ghrelin: a chemical synthesis method for medium-scale (up to hundreds of milligrams) and a semisynthesis method for large-scale (more than grams) preparation. Established Fmoc chemistry for solid-phase synthesis enables the highly efficient procedure for synthesizing ghrelin in the medium scale. Semisynthesis method, the coupling of chemically synthesized O-acylated ghrelin(1-7) with recombinantly expressed ghrelin(8-28), can be applied for larger scale preparation.

Purification and characterization of caprine ghrelin and its effect on growth hormone release.

Ghrelin, a novel peptide modified by n-octanoic acid at the third serine residue (Ser(3)), serves as an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R) 1a. The octanoyl modification at Ser(3) is essential for receptor binding or growth hormone release. Here, we report the purification of caprine ghrelin and its physiological role in goats. The major form of caprine ghrelin is a 27 amino acid peptide that is octanoylated (C8:0) at Ser(3) and lacks Gln(14), which is present in rat and human ghrelin. Additionally, we identified various acyl modifications in caprine ghrelin: nonanoic (C9:0), decanoic (10:0), unsaturated octanoic acids (C8:1), and an unidentified fatty acid modification. We observed that differences in acyl modifications affected GHS-R1a activation. In addition, administration of synthetic bovine ghrelin increased plasma growth hormone (GH) levels in goats. Thus, the present study indicates a structural divergence in caprine ghrelin and suggests that ghrelin is involved in GH release in ruminants.

Purification and properties of ghrelin from the intestine of the goldfish, Carassius auratus.

In goldfish, intraperitoneal (IP) or intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of synthetic ghrelin consisting of 12- or 19-amino-acid residues, deduced from its precursor cDNA, with an octanoic acid modification at the third N-terminal serine residue (Ser(3)), stimulates growth hormone release and food intake. However, native ghrelin generated from its precursor has not yet been identified in this species. Therefore, we purified ghrelin from the goldfish intestine using acid extraction, cation-exchange and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography combined with immune-affinity purification. In order to confirm ghrelin activity in the fractions at each purification step, we examined the effect of each fraction on intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization in rat growth hormone secretagogue-receptor (GHS-R)-expressing cells. We characterized the goldfish ghrelin as 11 molecular forms consisting of 14-, 17-, 18- and 19-amino-acid residues with acylation at Ser(3), and the 17-residue form was predominant. We then synthesized 17-residue forms with octanoic acid modification (octanoyl ghrelin17) and without acylation (des-acyl ghrelin17) at Ser(3), and examined their biological activity. Octanoyl ghrelin17, but not des-acyl ghrelin17, increased the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration in rat GHS-R-expressing cells with a potency similar to those of synthetic ghrelin consisting of 12 residues (octanoyl ghrelin12) and octanoyl rat ghrelin. IP and ICV administration of octanoyl ghrelin17 and octanoyl ghrelin12, but not des-acyl ghrelin17, increased food intake in goldfish. The present findings indicate that native goldfish ghrelin consists of 11 molecular variants, the major form being a 17-residue peptide. This dominant form with acylation is implicated in the regulation of food intake in goldfish.

Identification of ghrelin in the house musk shrew (Suncus murinus): cDNA cloning, peptide purification and tissue distribution.

Ghrelin is the endogenous ligand for the growth hormone (GH) secretagogue receptor, and the sequence of ghrelin has been determined in many species from fish to mammals. In the present study, to reveal the production of ghrelin in the house musk shrew (Suncus murinus, order: Insectivora, suncus is used as a laboratory name), we determined the cDNA sequence and structure of suncus ghrelin and also demonstrated the ghrelin-producing cells in the gastrointestinal tract. Results of cDNA cloning and mass spectrometry analysis revealed that suncus ghrelin is composed of 18 or 26 amino acid residues and that the 3rd Ser was acylated mainly by n-octanoic acid. The 10 amino acids of the N-terminal region of suncus mature ghrelin were consistent with those of other mammals. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed that suncus ghrelin mRNA is highly expressed in the gastric corpus and pyloric antrum, and low expression levels were found in various tissues, including the intestinal tract. Ghrelin cells were found only in the corpus and antrum by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, and most of the ghrelin cells were closed-type cells with relatively rich cytoplasm and scattered in the glandular body and base of the gastric mucosa. The density of ghrelin cells in the corpus was significantly greater than that in the antrum. The results of this study together with our recent results regarding motilin production in the suncus indicate that the suncus will be a useful model animal for study of physiological function of the motilin/ghrelin family.