Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 21, 2015; 21(11): 3214-3222
Published online Mar 21, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i11.3214
Ghrelin-ghrelin O-acyltransferase system in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Shao-Ren Zhang, Xiao-Ming Fan
Shao-Ren Zhang, Xiao-Ming Fan, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China
Author contributions: Fan XM conceived of the review and revised the paper; Zhang SR reviewed the literature and wrote the paper.
Supported by a research grant for Key Clinical Discipline Construction of Shanghai Municipality, China, No. ZK2012B20.
Conflict-of-interest: None of the authors have any conflicts-of-interest to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Xiao-Ming Fan, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University, No. 1508 Longhang Road, Shanghai 201508, China. xiaomingfan57@sina.com
Telephone: +86-21-34189990 Fax: +86-21-57943141
Received: October 19, 2014
Peer-review started: October 20, 2014
First decision: December 11, 2014
Revised: December 29, 2014
Accepted: January 30, 2015
Article in press: January 30, 2015
Published online: March 21, 2015
Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is currently considered as the most common liver disease in Western countries, and is rapidly becoming a serious threat to public health worldwide. However, the underlying mechanisms leading to the development of NAFLD are still not fully understood. The ghrelin-ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT) system has recently been found to play a crucial role in both the development of steatosis and its progression to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Ghrelin, the natural ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, is a 28-amino acid peptide possessing a unique acylation on the serine in position 3 catalyzed by GOAT. The ghrelin-GOAT system is involved in insulin resistance, lipid metabolism dysfunction, and inflammation, all of which play important roles in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. A better understanding of ghrelin-GOAT system biology led to the identification of its potential roles in NAFLD. Molecular targets modulating ghrelin-GOAT levels and the biologic effects are being studied, which provide a new insight into the pathogenesis of NAFLD. This review probes into the possible relationship between the ghrelin-GOAT system and NAFLD, and considers the potential mechanisms by which the ghrelin-GOAT system brings about insulin resistance and other aspects concerning NAFLD.

Keywords: Energy homeostasis, Ghrelin-ghrelin O-acyltransferase system, Insulin resistance, Lipid metabolism, Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Core tip: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a progressive disorder that can lead to impaired liver function and, ultimately, liver failure. The ghrelin-ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT) system has recently been found to play a crucial role in both the development of steatosis and its progression to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. This review probes into the possible relationship between ghrelin-GOAT system and NAFLD, and considers the potential mechanisms by which the ghrelin-GOAT system brings about insulin resistance and other aspects concerning NAFLD.