Endocrine Abstracts

Melanocortin receptors (MCR), which belong to the superfamiliy of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR), are preferentially coupled to Gs proteins and play a major role in the regulation of energy homeostasis. In line with this notion, mutations in the MC4R gene are the most frequent monogenic cause of severe obesity in human beings. Surprisingly, MC4R mutations isolated from obese candidates showed both increased or decreased potency to promote the Gs signalling pathway when ove...