The melanocortin system and energy balance

AA Butler - Peptides, 2006 - Elsevier
The melanocortins, a family of peptides produced from the post-translational processing of
pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), regulate ingestive behavior and energy expenditure. Loss of
function mutations of genes encoding POMC, or of either of two melanocortin receptors
expressed in the central nervous system (MC3R, MC4R), are associated with obesity. The
analyses of MC4R knockout mice indicate that activation of this receptor is involved in the
regulation of appetite, the adaptive metabolic response to excess caloric consumption, and …