Researchers at Leipzig University and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have discovered a key mechanism for appetite and weight control. It helps the brain to regulate feelings of hunger. In a study, scientists from Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1423 – Structural Dynamics of GPCR Activation and Signaling – found how a protein called MRAP2 (melanocortin 2 receptor accessory protein 2) influences the function of the brain receptor MC4R (melanocortin-4 receptor), which plays a central role in appetite control and energy balance. Their findings have just been published in the journal Nature Communications.