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    Science. 1997 Oct 3;278(5335):135-8.

    Antagonism of central melanocortin receptors in vitro and in vivo by agouti-related protein.

    Source

    Department of Pediatrics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.

    Erratum in

    • Science 1998 Sep 11;281(5383):1615.

    Abstract

    Expression of Agouti protein is normally limited to the skin where it affects pigmentation, but ubiquitous expression causes obesity. An expressed sequence tag was identified that encodes Agouti-related protein, whose RNA is normally expressed in the hypothalamus and whose levels were increased eightfold in ob/ob mice. Recombinant Agouti-related protein was a potent, selective antagonist of Mc3r and Mc4r, melanocortin receptor subtypes implicated in weight regulation. Ubiquitous expression of human AGRP complementary DNA in transgenic mice caused obesity without altering pigmentation. Thus, Agouti-related protein is a neuropeptide implicated in the normal control of body weight downstream of leptin signaling.

    PMID:
    9311920
    [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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