Investigaciones basadas en el estudio genético de personas con obesidad mórbida han revelado que mutaciones que empeoran la respuesta a las señales del citado receptor constituyen la causa más frecuente de obesidad grave. El nuevo estudio, no obstante, ha servido para descubrir un nuevo grupo de mutaciones que provocan obesidad sin interrumpir la respuesta del receptor MC4R a las señales sobre el apetito, sino que afectan a su nivel basal de actividad.
El hallazgo sugiere una nueva y prometedora estrategia para combatir la obesidad. En lugar de desarrollar fármacos que estimulen la respuesta del receptor a las señales de supresión del apetito –estrategia que ha demostrado ser difícil de conseguir- una mejor aproximación podría basarse en fármacos que aseguraran un nivel de actividad bajo y sostenido de la MC4R, que los investigadores consideran esencial para que la proteína regule el apetito.
Webs Relacionadas
University of California, San Francisco
http://www.ucsf.edu/
Journal of Clinical Investigation
http://www.jci.org/
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