期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：2014
卷号：111
期号：36
页码：13163-13168
DOI：10.1073/pnas.1411571111
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：SignificanceThe peripheral effect of ghrelin on energy metabolism has been controversial. Our study demonstrates a direct peripheral effect of ghrelin to increase de novo lipogenesis in hepatocytes. Moreover, we define mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-{gamma} (PPAR{gamma}) signaling pathway as the intracellular target of ghrelin in hepatocytes. The effect of ghrelin is mediated by the direct interaction between raptor and PPAR{gamma}. Our study identifies a previously unidentified pathway to treat NFALD via targeting hepatic ghrelin receptor/mTOR/PPAR{gamma}. Although ghrelin has been demonstrated to stimulate energy intake and storage through a central mechanism, its effect on hepatic lipid metabolism remains largely uncharacterized. Ghrelin receptor antagonism or gene deletion significantly decreased obesity-associated hepatic steatosis by suppression of de novo lipogenesis, whereas exogenous ghrelin stimulated lipogenesis, leading to hepatic lipid accumulation in mice. The effects of ghrelin were mediated by direct activation of its receptor on hepatocytes. Cultured hepatocytes responded to ghrelin with increased lipid content and expression of lipogenesis-related genes. Ghrelin increased phosphorylation of S6, the downstream target of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling in cultured hepatocytes, whereas ghrelin receptor antagonism reduced hepatic phosphorylation of S6 in db/db mice. Inhibition of mTOR signaling by rapamycin markedly attenuated ghrelin-induced up-regulation of lipogenesis in hepatocytes, whereas activation of hepatic mTOR signaling by deletion of TSC1 increased hepatic lipogenesis. By interacting with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-{gamma} (PPAR{gamma}), mTOR mediates the ghrelin-induced up-regulation of lipogenesis in hepatocytes. The stimulatory effect of ghrelin on hepatic lipogenesis was significantly attenuated by PPAR{gamma} antagonism in cultured hepatocytes and in PPAR{gamma} gene-deficient mice. Our study indicates that ghrelin activates its receptor on hepatocytes to promote lipogenesis via a mechanism involving the mTOR-PPAR{gamma} signaling pathway.
