The ghrelin cell: a novel developmentally regulated islet cell in the human pancreas.
OBJECTIVES: Ghrelin, an endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R), was recently identified in the stomach. Ghrelin is produced in a population of endocrine cells in the gastric mucosa, but expression in intestine, hypothalamus and testis has also been reported. Recent data indicate that ghrelin affects insulin secretion and plays a direct role in metabolic regulation an
