Ghrelin promotes hepatic lipogenesis by activation of mTOR-PPARγ signaling pathway

Although ghrelin has been demonstrated to stimulate energy intake and storage through a central mechanism, its effect on hepatic lipid metabolism remains largely uncharacterized. Ghrelin receptor antagonism or gene deletion significantly decreased obesity-associated hepatic steatosis by suppression of de novo lipogenesis, whereas exogenous ghrelin stimulated lipogenesis, leading to hepatic lipid accumulation in mice. The effects of ghrelin were mediated by direct activation of its receptor on hepatocytes. Cultured hepatocytes responded to ghrelin with increased lipid content and expression of lipogenesis-related genes. Ghrelin increased phosphorylation of S6, the downstream target of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling in cultured hepatocytes, whereas ghrelin receptor antagonism reduced hepatic phosphorylation of S6 in db/db mice. Inhibition of mTOR signaling by rapamycin markedly attenuated ghrelin-induced up-regulation of lipogenesis in hepatocytes, whereas activation of hepatic mTOR signaling by deletion of TSC1 increased hepatic lipogenesis. By interacting with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ), mTOR mediates the ghrelin-induced up-regulation of lipogenesis in hepatocytes. The stimulatory effect of ghrelin on hepatic lipogenesis was significantly attenuated by PPARγ antagonism in cultured hepatocytes and in PPARγ gene-deficient mice. Our study indicates that ghrelin activates its receptor on hepatocytes to promote lipogenesis via a mechanism involving the mTOR-PPARγ signaling pathway.