Ghrelin octanoylation mediated by an orphan lipid transferase

  1. Jesus A. Gutierrez*,,
  2. Patricia J. Solenberg*,
  3. Douglas R. Perkins*,
  4. Jill A. Willency*,
  5. Michael D. Knierman*,
  6. Zhaoyan Jin*,
  7. Derrick R. Witcher,
  8. Shuang Luo§,
  9. Jude E. Onyia, and
  10. John E. Hale*
  1. *Integrative Biology, Eli Lilly and Company, 2001 West Main Street, Greenfield, IN 46140; and
  2. Biotechnology Discovery Research and
  3. §Cancer Inflammation and Cell Survival, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN 46285
  1. Edited by Solomon H. Snyder, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, and approved February 28, 2008 (received for review January 23, 2008)

  1. Fig. 1.

    Generation of octanoylated ghrelin peptides by octanoic acid treatment in TT cells. (A) Ghrelin immunoprecipitation MALDI-TOF MS (IPMS) analyses of TT cell culture media under control conditions. Des-acyl ghrelin 1–28 (m/z 3,244) and 1–27 (m/z 3,088) were observed within 6 days. (B) Exposure of TT cells to octanoic acid (125 μg/ml) induced production of octanoylated ghrelin 1–28 (m/z 3,370) and 1–27 (m/z 3,214) peptides by the cells. Treatment-dependent generation of octanoylated ghrelin peptides is denoted by downward arrows. Ghrelin peptide standards were added at the start of the culture period (m/z 3,187, 3,314, and 3,393 for rat des-acyl ghrelin, rat octanoylated ghrelin, and human SIL octanoylated ghrelin peptides).


  2. Fig. 2.

    GOAT is essential for ghrelin octanoylation in TT cells. (A) TT cells were exposed to targeting siRNAs (2 μg) specific for candidate 7 (Cand-7), MBOAT-1, MBOAT-2, MBOAT-3, MBOAT-5, human BB1, SOAT-1, or nontargeting control siRNAs and assayed for ghrelin octanoylation by using the ghrelin IPMS assay. Ghrelin octanoylation levels were normalized to cells treated with nontargeting siRNA control. (B) Dose-dependent decrease in octanoylated ghrelin levels in TT cells treated with candidate 7 gene siRNA 7-3. (C) Dose-dependent effects of candidate 7 gene siRNA 7-3 on normalized GOAT transcripts (GOAT/18s rRNA). (D) Exposure of TT cells to targeting siRNAs (2 μg) to five distinct regions of the candidate 7 transcript decrease the levels of octanoylated ghrelin (1–28) relative to siRNA control treatment.


  3. Fig. 3.

    GOAT octanoylates ghrelin peptide in HEK-293 cells. (A) HEK-293 cells transiently transfected with human preproghrelin cDNA secreted des-acyl ghrelin peptides 1–28 (m/z 3,244) and 1–27 (m/z 3,088). (B) Transient cotransfection of HEK-293 cells with human preproghrelin and GOAT cDNAs produced principally octanoylated ghrelin peptides 1–28 (m/z 3,370) and 1–27 (m/z 3,214). Ghrelin peptides standards were rat des-acyl ghrelin (m/z 3,188) and dog octanoyl des Q ghrelin (m/z 3,228). (C) MS fragmentation analyses showing the GOAT-mediated octanoyl modification of serine-3 in ghrelin. Immunoprecipitated ghrelin peptides from cotransfected cells were subjected to MS/MS analyses. (Upper) Fragmentation pattern for +5 ions (m/z 649.56) for des-acyl ghrelin denoting the presence of daughter y″ ions up to the unmodified serine-3 residue. (Lower) Fragmentation pattern for +5 ions (m/z 674.78) for octanoylated ghrelin. Daughter y″ ion fragmentation pattern for octanoylated ghrelin shows a shift for the modified serine-3 residue corresponding to the covalent octanoylation of this residue. Arrows denote mass shift at serine-3 for des-acyl and octanoylated ghrelin. The amino acid sequence for human octanoylated ghrelin is shown within the figure.


  4. Fig. 4.

    GOAT gene-null mice lack octanoylated ghrelin in circulation. Blood profiles for acylated and des-acyl ghrelin in either wild-type (Upper) or GOAT gene-disrupted (Lower) mice were determined by using the ghrelin IPMS assay. Arrow denotes location of octanoylated ghrelin. Ghrelin peptide standards were mouse SIL acyl (m/z 3,338) and des-acyl ghrelin (m/z 3,211) peptides, respectively.


  5. Fig. 5.

    GOAT and ghrelin transcript profiles in human tissues. Origene's TissueScan Real-Time 48 human tissue panel was used for these studies. Ghrelin and GOAT relative transcript levels were normalized to β-actin transcript amounts and then calibrated to stomach expression in each profile, which was given an arbitrary value of 1. Relative transcript levels for 22 major tissues are shown. (A) GOAT is expressed mainly in stomach and pancreas human tissues. (B) Ghrelin transcripts were abundantly detected in stomach and modestly in pancreas human tissues.


Footnotes

  • To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: gutierrez_jesus_a{at}lilly.com
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