A complex network of peptide hormones secreted from the gut, adipose tissue, the brain, and other tissues regulate energy balance. Intensive investigation has uncovered the role of many of the major players in energy balance. However, many of these peptide hormones are derived from precursor proteins whose in vivo processing have not been fully studied. In this review we highlight the importanc...

Bovine ghrelin, a 27 amino acid peptide, has been identified in oxyntic glands of the abomasum. It is an endogenous ligand for growth hormone secretagogue receptor and stimulates food intake and growth hormone secretion. The bovine GHRL gene was completely sequenced and consists of five exons and four introns. Like mouse and human GHRL genes, we found that the bovine GHRL gene also contains a f...