JERUSALEM, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Israeli and British scientists have deciphered the mechanism in the brain responsible for the feeling of satiety, the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) in Israel said on Thursday.
The findings shed new light on the way hunger is regulated and may help develop improved anti-obesity medications, the WIS said in a study published in the journal Science
The researchers from the WIS, Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Queen Mary University of London have revealed the mechanism of the action of the master switch for hunger in the brain, which is called MC4 receptor, according to the study.
When the MC4 receptor is activated, it sends out commands that cause feeling full, but when the energy levels drop, it will produce a hormone that inactivates the receptor to send out a "hunger" signal.
The team isolated large quantities of pure MC4 receptors from cell membranes, let it bind with setmelanotide (a new drug for obesity) and determined its 3D structure.
The structure revealed that the setmelanotide activates the MC4 receptor by directly hitting the molecular switch that signals satiety.
It was also found that the drug's entry causes structural changes in the receptor, initiating the signals within the neurons that lead to the sensation of fullness.
The study has also explained how the mutations in MC4 receptors can interfere with this signaling, leading to never-ending hunger and ultimately obesity. Enditem
