The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4-R) is a G protein-coupled, seven-transmembrane receptor expressed in the brain. Inactivation of this receptor by gene targeting results in mice that develop a maturity onset obesity syndrome associated with hyperphagia, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperglycemia. This syndrome recapitulates several of the characteristic features of the agouti obesity syndrome, which results from ectopic expression of agouti protein, a pigmentation factor normally expressed in the skin. Our data identify a novel signaling pathway in the mouse for body weight regulation and support a model in which the primary mechanism by which agouti induces obesity is chronic antagonism of the MC4-R.
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regulates melanocortin 4 receptor transcription and energy homeostasis.
Sci Transl Med
January 2025
Hypothalamic Research Center, Department of Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas TX, 75390, USA.
Disruption of hypothalamic melanocortin 4 receptors (MC4Rs) causes obesity in mice and humans. Here, we investigated the transcriptional regulation of in the hypothalamus. In mice, we show that the homeodomain transcription factor Orthopedia (OTP) is enriched in MC4R neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus and directly regulates transcription.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObesity-associated MRAP2 variants impair multiple MC4R-mediated signaling pathways.
Hum Mol Genet
January 2025
Department of Metabolism and Systems Science, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom.
The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) is a G protein-coupled receptor expressed at hypothalamic neurons that has an important role in appetite suppression and food intake. Mutations in MC4R are the most common cause of monogenic obesity and can affect multiple signaling pathways including Gs-cAMP, Gq, ERK1/2, β-arrestin recruitment, internalization and cell surface expression. The melanocortin-2 receptor accessory protein 2 (MRAP2), is a single-pass transmembrane protein that interacts with and regulates signaling by MC4R.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExploring the therapeutic potential of precision medicine in rare genetic obesity disorders: a scientific perspective.
Front Nutr
December 2024
Faculty of Medicine, Diabetes Center, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide, affecting both children and adults. This obesity epidemic is mostly driven by an increase in energy intake (abundance of highly palatable energy-dense food and drinks) and to a lesser degree a decrease in energy expenditure (sedentary lifestyle). A small proportion of individuals with obesity are affected by genetic forms of obesity, which often relate to mutations in the leptin-melanocortin pathway or are part of syndromes such as the Bardet-Biedl syndrome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMotivational dysregulation with melanocortin 4 receptor haploinsufficiency.
NeuroImmune Pharm Ther
September 2024
Cognitive and Neural Science Program, Department of Psychology, Barnwell College, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
Obesity, by any standard, is a global health crisis. Both genetic and dietary contributions to the development and maintenance of obesity were integral factors of our experimental design. As mutations of the melanocortin 4 receptors (MC4R) are the leading monogenetic cause of obesity, MC4R haploinsufficient rats were fed a range of dietary fat (0-12 %) in a longitudinal design.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRare variants in the melanocortin 4 receptor gene (MC4R) are associated with abdominal fat and insulin resistance in youth with obesity.
Int J Obes (Lond)
December 2024
Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Background: Rare variants in melanocortin 4 receptor gene (MC4R) result in a severe form of early-onset obesity; however, it is unclear how these variants may affect abdominal fat distribution, intrahepatic fat accumulation, and related metabolic sequelae.
Methods: Eight hundred seventy-seven youth (6-21 years) with overweight/obesity, recruited from the Yale Pediatric Obesity Clinic in New Haven, CT, underwent genetic analysis to screen for functionally damaging, rare variants (MAF < 0.01) in MC4R.
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