The Level of Circulating Octanoate Does Not Predict GhrelinO-Acyl Transferase (GOAT)-Mediated Acylation of Ghrelin During Fasting

Acyl-ghrelin is a 28-amino acid peptide released from the stomach. Ghrelin O-acyl transferase (GOAT) attaches an 8-carbon medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) (octanoate) to serine 3 of ghrelin. This acylation is necessary for the activity of ghrelin. Animal data suggest that MCFAs provide substrate for GOAT and an increase in nutritional octanoate increases acyl-ghrelin.To address the question of the source of substrate for acylation, we studied...