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Updated: May 14, 2026

Pharmacologic Induction of Epidermal Melanin and Protection Against Sunburn in a Humanized Mouse Model
Published on: September 7, 2013
The melanocortin receptors and their accessory proteins
Shwetha Ramachandrappa1, Rebecca J Gorrigan, Adrian J L Clark
1Centre for Endocrinology, William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry London, UK.
None:
The five melanocortin receptors (MCRs) named MC1R-MC5R have diverse physiological roles encompassing pigmentation, steroidogenesis, energy homeostasis and feeding behavior as well as exocrine function. Since their identification almost 20 years ago much has been learnt about these receptors. As well as interacting with their endogenous ligands the melanocortin peptides, there is now a growing list of important peptides that can modulate the way these receptors signal, acting as agonists, antagonists, and inverse agonists. The discovery of melanocortin 2 receptor accessory proteins as a novel accessory factor to the MCRs provides further insight into the regulation of these important G protein-coupled receptor.
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