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Obesity Discussion · 05-20-06, 02:44 PM

Obesity-Related Hormone
Joan Stephenson, PhD

JAMA. 2006;295:1239.

A rare mutation in a brain chemical called -melanocyte-stimulating hormone (-MSH) can increase a person's risk of severe early-onset obesity, according to new studies by European researchers (Lee YS et al. Cell Metab. 2006;3:135-140 and Biebermann H et al. Cell Metab. 2006;3:141-146).

One research team found that children with severe early-onset obesity were much likelier than children of normal weight to carry the rare -MSH mutation; moreover, overweight or obese relatives of children with the mutation were also more likely than normal-weight relatives to carry this gene variant. The group also discovered that the mutation altered the hormone's structure and its ability to stimulate the melanocortin-4 receptor, which previous research had demonstrated plays a critical role in controlling energy balance.

The second team also found the -MSH mutation in obese children, and that animals given the aberrant form -MSH do not reduce their food intake, unlike animals given the normal form of the hormone. A related chemical, -melanocyte-stimulating hormone (-MSH), suppresses appetite in both humans and rodents, but it has a strong stimulatory effect on sexual behavior that likely rules it out as a treatment for severe obesity. Because drugs that mimic -MSH might have different pharmacological properties, however, "they represent a new strategy to develop an anorexigenic compound without the side effects observed with -MSH," they said.

05-20-06, 02:44 PM	#1 (permalink)
Obesity Discussion Administrator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 7,815 Weight Statistics 8/1/2006 Start Date: 185 lb Start Weight: 152 lb Current Weight: 155 lb Goal Weight: -33 lb Weight Loss: 5/1/2007 Goal Date:	Obesity-Related Hormone Obesity-Related Hormone Joan Stephenson, PhD JAMA. 2006;295:1239. A rare mutation in a brain chemical called -melanocyte-stimulating hormone (-MSH) can increase a person's risk of severe early-onset obesity, according to new studies by European researchers (Lee YS et al. Cell Metab. 2006;3:135-140 and Biebermann H et al. Cell Metab. 2006;3:141-146). One research team found that children with severe early-onset obesity were much likelier than children of normal weight to carry the rare -MSH mutation; moreover, overweight or obese relatives of children with the mutation were also more likely than normal-weight relatives to carry this gene variant. The group also discovered that the mutation altered the hormone's structure and its ability to stimulate the melanocortin-4 receptor, which previous research had demonstrated plays a critical role in controlling energy balance. The second team also found the -MSH mutation in obese children, and that animals given the aberrant form -MSH do not reduce their food intake, unlike animals given the normal form of the hormone. A related chemical, -melanocyte-stimulating hormone (-MSH), suppresses appetite in both humans and rodents, but it has a strong stimulatory effect on sexual behavior that likely rules it out as a treatment for severe obesity. Because drugs that mimic -MSH might have different pharmacological properties, however, "they represent a new strategy to develop an anorexigenic compound without the side effects observed with -MSH," they said. __________________