Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor (GHSR)

Growth hormone secretagogue receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor which binds ghrelin and plays a role in energy homeostasis and regulation of body weight.Ghrelin is an appetite-regulating factor secreted from peripheral organs which is involved in regulation of energy homoeostasis via binding to the receptor resulting in the secretion of growth hormone by the pituitary gland. The pathway activated by binding of Ghrelin to the Growth hormone secretagogue receptor, GHSR1a, regulates the activation of the downstream mitogen-activated protein kinase, Akt, nitric oxide synthase, and AMPK cascades in different cellular systems. One of the important features of GHSR1a displays constitutive activity possessing basal activity in the absence of an agonist, resulting in a high degree of receptor internalization as well as of signaling activity.