ThisassayhasbeendevelopedtoscreenGOATactivitybymonitoringAcylatedGhrelinproductionincellculturemedia.Ghrelindiscoveredin1999,isfastbecominganendocrinologytargetofthemillennium.Ghrelin,identifiedinratstomachasanendogenousligandfortheGHsecretagoguereceptor,ismainlyproducedinstomach,buthasbeendemonstratedinmanyotherorgans.InadditiontoGH-releasingpropertiesanditsorexantaction,Ghrelincouldactasanhormonehavingeffectsongastricmotility(similaritywiththepeptidehormonemotilin),acidicsecretion,cardiovascularaction,antiproliferativeeffects,pancreaticandglucosemetabolismfunction,sleep...GhrelingeneraisestomRNAprepro-ghrelinof117aminoacids.ThisprecursorisprocessedintoGhrelin,28aminoacids(human).Beforebeingsecreted,thispeptideisoctanoylatedatSer3byGOAT(GhrelinOctanoylAcylTransferase).ThisstepisessentialforBIOLOGicalactivitymakingGOATaperfecttargetfordrugsinfeedingbehaviour.Interestingly,thepotentialtherapeuticimportanceofthishormoneisnotrestrictedtoregulationoffoodintakebutalsoincachexia(relatedtocancertreatment,anorexianervosaorischemia)gastricmotilityandmaybeinvolvedinosteoporosis,somatopause,infertilityandovulationinduction,neurologicaldisorders(Alcoholism,PostTraumaticStressdisorders...)andcardiovasculardiseases.