ADIPOQ and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: Adiponectin, a 244 amino acid collagen-like protein encoded by the AdipoQ gene in humans [1], is decreased in obesity [2], type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), and those with coronary heart disease (CHD) [3], and thus have been hypothesized to have insulin sensitizing, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic activities [4].