TBK1 and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: Studies from our laboratory on the NF-κB pathway in adipose tissue and liver from obese mice revealed that both the noncanonical IκB kinases (IKKs), IKKε and TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1), are elevated in obesity due to NF-κB activation and further that both proteins play a role in suppressing energy expenditure in the obese state (28, 30).