In parallel, we treated splenocytes from mice fed a normal diet using MBCD/Chol complexes ex vivo to ascertain that the reduction in P2X7 sensitivity of the CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets following the HFC diet was mainly dependent on plasma membrane cholesterol modulation and not the consequences of the modulation of various biological parameters linked to obesity. The gene discussed is P2RX7; the disease is obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency.