STAT3 and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: As shown in previous studies, leptin’s effect on Trpm7 (TRP [transient receptor potential] melastatin 7) expression, via epigenetic changes and the pSTAT3(phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3)-JAK2(Janus kinase 2) pathway, contributes to obesity-associated hypertension, but leptin’s role is additive, not essential, in the complex regulatory network leading to hypertension in obesity [33, 114–116].