LEP and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: In addition, we registered strong positive linear correlation between the expression levels of Lep and Cryab or Hsp25. These results suggest a specific role of small heat shock proteins in the regulation of obesity-related metabolic alterations, which is in agreement with previous research revealing that αB-crystallin functions as an adipokine [33] and might be involved in the pathogenesis of diet-induced diabetes [34].