Wolf G
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of California, Berkeley 94720-3104, USA.
Nutr Rev. 1997 Mar;55(3):85-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.1997.tb01602.x.
Leptin, the circulating protein that inhibits food intake and energy expenditure, was thought to function through inhibition of the hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY), a stimulator of food intake. However, mouse mutants lacking NPY are normal, suggesting that alternative neuromodulators of food intake must exist. Recently, melanocortin, a neuropeptide acting on the hypothalamic receptor melanocortin4-R, was discovered in mice, controlling energy regulation. This receptor is antagonized by the "agouti" protein in the mutant obese agouti mouse.
