title: Divergent effects of central melanocortin signalling on fat and sucrose preference in humans.
abstract: Melanocortin-4-receptor (MC4R)-expressing neurons modulate food intake and preference in rodents but their role in human food preference is unknown. Here we show that compared with lean and weight-matched controls, MC4R deficient individuals exhibited a markedly increased preference for high fat, but a significantly reduced preference for high sucrose food. These effects mirror those in Mc4r null rodents and provide evidence for a central molecular circuit influencing human macronutrient preference.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.
authors.forename: Agatha A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: van der Klaauw
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.
authors.forename: Julia M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Keogh
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.
authors.forename: Elana
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Henning
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stephenson
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kelway
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.
authors.forename: Victoria M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Trowse
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK.
authors.forename: Naresh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Rahilly
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK.
authors.forename: Paul C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.
authors.forename: I Sadaf
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Farooqi
mesh_terms: D001835:Body Weight; D004041:Dietary Fats; D000073417:Dietary Sugars; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D053486:Melanocortins; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D017354:Point Mutation; D044105:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4 / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013395:Sucrose / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D000073417:Dietary Sugars; C470072:MC4R protein, human; D053486:Melanocortins; D044105:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4; D013395:Sucrose