Targeting the central melanocortin system for the treatment of metabolic disorders

P Sweeney, LE Gimenez, CC Hernandez… - Nature Reviews …, 2023 - nature.com
A large body of preclinical and clinical data shows that the central melanocortin system is a
promising therapeutic target for treating various metabolic disorders such as obesity and …

Paraventricular thalamic MC3R circuits link energy homeostasis with anxiety-related behavior

D Cho, K O'Berry, IC Possa-Paranhos… - Journal of …, 2023 - Soc Neuroscience
The hypothalamic melanocortin system is critically involved in sensing stored energy and
communicating this information throughout the brain, including to brain regions controlling …

Structural insights into ligand recognition and subtype selectivity of the human melanocortin-3 and melanocortin-5 receptors

W Feng, Q Zhou, X Chen, A Dai, X Cai, X Liu, F Zhao… - Cell Discovery, 2023 - nature.com
Members of the melanocortin receptor (MCR) family that recognize different melanocortin
peptides mediate a broad spectrum of cellular processes including energy homeostasis …

Melanocortin-3 receptor expression in AgRP neurons is required for normal activation of the neurons in response to energy deficiency

Y Gui, NS Dahir, Y Wu, G Downing, P Sweeney… - Cell reports, 2023 - cell.com
Summary The melanocortin-3 receptor (MC3R) is a negative regulator of the central
melanocortin circuitry via presynaptic expression on agouti-related protein (AgRP) nerve …

Melanocortin agonism in a social context selectively activates nucleus accumbens in an oxytocin-dependent manner

CL Ford, AA McDonough, K Horie, LJ Young - Neuropharmacology, 2024 - Elsevier
Social deficits are debilitating features of many psychiatric disorders, including autism. While
time-intensive behavioral therapy is moderately effective, there are no pharmacological …

Subthreshold activation of the melanocortin system causes generalized sensitization to anorectic agents in mice

NS Dahir, Y Gui, Y Wu, PR Sweeney… - The Journal of Clinical …, 2024 - jci.org
The melanocortin-3 receptor (MC3R) regulates GABA release from agouti-related protein
(AgRP) nerve terminals and thus tonically suppresses multiple circuits involved in feeding …

[HTML][HTML] Inhibition of the melanocortin-3 receptor (MC3R) causes generalized sensitization to anorectic agents

NS Dahir, Y Gui, Y Wu, PR Sweeney, SY Williams… - bioRxiv, 2023 - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Abstract The melanocortin-3 receptor (MC3R) acts presynaptically to regulate GABA release
from agouti-related protein (AgRP) nerve terminals and thus may be a negative regulator of …

Melanocortin receptor 3 and 4 mRNA expression in the adult female Syrian hamster brain

MAL Hall, AL Kohut-Jackson, AC Peyla… - Frontiers in Molecular …, 2023 - frontiersin.org
Melanocortin 3 receptors (MC3R) and melanocortin 4 receptors (MC4R) are vital in
regulating a variety of functions across many species. For example, the dysregulation of …

Fasting-induced activity changes in MC3R neurons of the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus

RA Chesters, J Zhu, BM Coull… - Life Science …, 2024 - life-science-alliance.org
The brain controls energy homeostasis by regulating food intake through signaling within
the melanocortin system. Whilst we understand the role of the hypothalamus within this …

[HTML][HTML] Neuroanatomical dissection of the MC3R circuitry regulating energy rheostasis

IC Possa-Paranhos, J Butts, E Pyszka, C Nelson… - bioRxiv, 2024 - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Although mammals resist both acute weight loss and weight gain, the neural circuitry
mediating bi-directional defense against weight change is incompletely understood. Global …