Journal
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR ENDOCRINOLOGY
Volume 56, Issue 4, Pages T157-T174Publisher
BIOSCIENTIFICA LTD
DOI: 10.1530/JME-16-0014
Keywords
alpha-MSH; POMC; melanocortin; MC4R; food intake
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [RO1DK070332]
- NIH/NIDDK [T32 DK07563, F31 DK107253, F30 DK108476]
- NIH/NIGMS [T32 GM07347]
- Vanderbilt International Scholar Program
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The melanocortin peptides derived from pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) were originally understood in terms of the biological actions of a-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) on pigmentation and adrenocorticotrophic hormone on adrenocortical glucocorticoid production. However, the discovery of POMC mRNA and melanocortin peptides in the CNS generated activities directed at understanding the direct biological actions of melanocortins in the brain. Ultimately, discovery of unique melanocortin receptors expressed in the CNS, the melanocortin-3 (MC3R) and melanocortin-4 (MC4R) receptors, led to the development of pharmacological tools and genetic models leading to the demonstration that the central melanocortin system plays a critical role in the regulation of energy homeostasis. Indeed, mutations in MC4R are now known to be the most common cause of early onset syndromic obesity, accounting for 2-5% of all cases. This review discusses the history of these discoveries, as well as the latest work attempting to understand the molecular and cellular basis of regulation of feeding and energy homeostasis by the predominant melanocortin peptide in the CNS, alpha-MSH.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available