Ghrelin receptors

Ghrelin is the endogenous ligand for the ghrelin receptor, also known as the growth hormone secretagog receptor (GHS-R1a).  Alternative splicing of preproghrelin yields two active peptides: ghrelin and des-Gln14-ghrelin, which differ by one amino acid.  The ghrelin receptor is expressed in the pituitary, hypothalamus, hippocampus, gastrointestinal tract and vasculature including the aorta, coronary arteries, pulmonary arteries, arcuate arteries, and saphenous veins.  Ghrelin acts as a potent vasodilator in vivo and in vitro and was the first circulating hormone shown to stimulate eating and weight gain. 

Further reading

Camiña (2006) Cell biology of the ghrelin receptor. J Neuroendocrinol. 18(1) 65 PMID: 16451222

Cong et al (2010) Ghrelin receptor signaling: a promising therapeutic target for metabolic syndrome and cognitive dysfunction. CNS Neurol. Disord. Drug Targets. 9(5) 557 PMID: 20632971

Wenthur et al. (2019) Ghrelin Receptor Influence on Cocaine Reward is Not Directly Dependent on Peripheral Acyl-Ghrelin. Sci. Rep. 9 1841 PMID: 30755699

Goudsward et al (2024) Ghrelin Modulates Voltage-Gated Ca2+ Channels through Voltage-Dependent and Voltage-Independent Pathways in Rat Gastric Vagal Afferent Neurons. Mol Pharmacol. 106(5) 253 PMID: 39187389

Pearl et al (2025) Midbrain ghrelin receptor signalling regulates binge drinking in a sex specific manner. Nat Commun 16 2568 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57880-w