5,6) Similar to MC4R polymorphisms, common variants in MC3R show significant frequency variation among different populations, accompanied by controversial effects on obesity phenotypes.
We analysed MC4R and MC3R for sequence variants that may contribute to the development of obesity in pupils from South Africa.
Human and animal studies support the role of MC4R in human obesity, (3,13) while MC3R variants have recently been implicated as pathogenic mutations that may cause dominantly inherited obesity.
5 mmHg) in coloured pupils further supports the dual role of MC3R in weight and blood pressure regulation.
No sequence variants were identified on MC4R, while two common sequence variants (T6K and V81I) were identified in the MC3R coding region.
Although the MC3R variants show a negative effect in blood pressure and weight gain among coloured pupils, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among black and coloured pupils was not significantly different.
Our results support the role of MC3R variants in weight regulation, with larger effects in the coloured population, in whom T6K and V81I polymorphisms also exact different metabolic effects, supporting the dual role of MC3R in regulating body weight and blood pressure.
