Obestatin--a ghrelin-associated peptide that does not hold its promise to suppress food intake and motility.

Ghrelin is a gut peptide well established to induce prokinetic and appetite stimulatory actions. Obestatin is a novel 23-amino acid peptide derived from the processing of the ghrelin gene. The peptide name was in keeping with its initially reported actions to suppress food intake and digestive motility and to antagonize ghrelin's stimulatory effect through interaction with the orphan GPR-39 receptor. However, subsequently, these findings have been questioned because obestatin actions to reduce food intake and to inhibit gastrointestinal (GI) motility in vivo and in vitro have not been reproduced by several groups. Furthermore, while GPR-39 appears to be involved in gut motor functions, convergent reports showed that obestatin is not the cognate ligand for this receptor. In light of recent controversy over the effects of obestatin, the present findings from De Smet et al. provides additional evidence that obestatin does not influence food intake and GI motility in vivo and in vitro. Taken together, existing reports curtail the initial promise that obestatin is a new regulator of appetite and digestive motility. Therefore, it is proposed to rename obestatin as ghrelin-associated peptide.