Establishment of anti-ghrelin receptor antibodies for crystallization

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K18515
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Functional biochemistry
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Shiimura Yuki 京都大学, 医学研究科, 客員研究員 (40551297)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: グレリン / グレリン受容体 / X線結晶構造解析

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Ghrelin was first discovered in rat stomach as an endogenous ligand of the growth-hormone secretagogue receptor (Ghrelin receptor), which is a G protein-coupled receptor.
Ghrelin facilitates the release of growth hormone and stimulates appetite via Ghrelin receptor. Human ghrelin consists of 28 amino acid residues and a Ser3 is n-octanoylated, which is necessary for the activation of ghrelin.
To understand the mechanism of how Ghrelin receptor recognizes the acylated ghrelin at the molecular level, we are currently trying to solve the Ghrelin/Ghrelin receptor complex structure using X-ray crystallography.Antibody is a useful tool for membrane protein purification and crystallization, through improved thermostability and enlarged hydrophilic regions. Therefore, we prepared the anti-ghrelin receptor antibody prior to crystallization of the ghrelin receptor.

Free Research Field

内分泌