The invention relates to methods of enhancing normal melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) activity, and to enhancing activity of an MC4R having a mutation which affects protein folding and/or processing of the MC4R. The invention provides a method of treating an individual having a condition in which increased activity of an MC4R at the cell surface would be beneficial, for example in obesity, by administering an effective amount of a pharmacological chaperone for the MC4R. The invention provides MC4R pharmacological chaperones which enhance the activity of MC4R. The invention further provides a method of screening to identify pharmacological chaperones which enhance folding of an MC4R in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), in order to enhance the activity of the MC4R at the cell surface.
本发明涉及增强正常
黑色素皮质素-4受体(MC4R)活性的方法,以及增强具有影响MC4R蛋白质折叠和/或加工的突变的MC4R活性的方法。本发明提供了一种治疗方法,通过施用有效量的 MC4R 药理伴侣,治疗细胞表面 MC4R 活性增加有益的病症,例如肥胖症。本发明提供了可增强 MC4R 活性的 MC4R 药理合剂。本发明进一步提供了一种筛选方法,以确定可增强MC4R在内质网(ER)中折叠的药理伴侣,从而增强MC4R在细胞表面的活性。