Illuminating pro-opiomelanocortin deficiency

Adopting a healthier lifestyle and losing excess weight is a common resolution for the New Year. Some stick to their resolutions and some don’t, but there are also those who can’t. This month, Dr Nicola Davies shines a light on pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) deficiency.

What is POMC deficiency?

Our brain has circuits devoted entirely to telling us when to start and stop eating. Rarely, people carry mutations in certain genes that regulate the function of these fine neuronal circuits. One of these genes, POMC, encodes for pro-opiomelanocortin, a polypeptide that once produced is further processed to several other biologically active peptides. These peptides are involved in various physiologic processes, including appetite regulation, sexual behavior, adrenal steroidogenesis, and skin pigmentation.