Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Targeted Next-generation Sequencing and Bioinformatics Pipeline to Evaluate Genetic Determinants of Constitutional Disease
Published on: April 4, 2018
The Leu34Phe ProCART mutation leads to cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) deficiency: a possible
Tulin Yanik1, Geraldina Dominguez, Michael J Kuhar
1Section on Cellular Neurobiology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4480, USA.
Abstract:
Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) is an anorexigenic neuropeptide synthesized in the hypothalamus. A Leu34Phe missense mutation in proCART has been found in an obese family in humans. Here we show that humans bearing the Leu34Phe mutation in proCART have severely diminished levels of bioactive CART, but elevated amounts of partially processed proCART in their serum. Expression of wild-type proCART in AtT-20 cells showed that it was sorted to the regulated secretory pathway, a necessity for proper processing to bioactive CART. However, expressed Leu34Phe proCART was missorted, poorly processed, and secreted constitutively. The defective intracellular sorting of Leu34Phe proCART would account for the reduced levels of bioactive CART in affected humans. These results suggest that the obesity observed in humans bearing the Leu34Phe mutation could be due to a putative deficiency in hypothalamic bioactive CART.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Lethal Alleles
Lucien Cuénot discovered lethal alleles in 1905 while studying the inheritance of coat color in mice. The agouti gene is responsible for the color of the coat in mice. This gene codes for an agouti-signaling protein, which is responsible for melanin distribution in mammals. The wild-type allele gives rise to gray-brown coat color in mice, while the mutant allele gives rise to yellow coat color. In addition to coat color, the agouti gene is associated with the yellow...
Obesity
Pharmacogenomics: Identification of New Drug Targets
Pleiotropy
Pharmacokinetics in Obese Patients: Drug Metabolism and Excretion
Epigenetic Regulation
X-chromosome...

