Endocrine Abstracts

Since the discovery of melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) as an important regulator of food intake it has been recognised as one of the major monogenic factors of obesity. However the mutations identified are usually very rare, not found in control subjects from the background population and can explain only a minor part of heritability (2–3%). Here we explore the role of non-synonymous mutations identified by MC4R sequencing in cohort of 380 severely obese individuals (BMI 3...

Membrane expression of ACTH receptor MC2R is specifically limited to adrenal cells. In addition, unlike the other members of the evolutionary related MCRs that recognize different melanocortin peptides, the MC2R solely binds ACTH. We used cassette substitutions and mutagenesis of individual amino acids for systematic construction of 30 chimeric and mutant MC2R/MC4R receptors to identify the receptor structures determining the selectivity of MC2R in membrane trafficking and ACT...

Ghrelin (Ghr) is an orexigenic peptide investigated by Lutter and col. 2008 for its potential role in the development of depressive symptoms induced by chronic stress, suggesting that Ghr defends against depressive-like symptoms. Rodent bilateral olfactory bulbectomy (OB) is an animal model that appears to fulfill many of the criteria required for the study of depression; hence, Ghr could be an alternative therapeutic tool for depression therapy. We study the possibility that ...