Protein / target

Melatonin receptor type 1B

MTNR1BP49286Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
4
Approved medicines
30
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Approved Drug

Protein at a glance

Biological role

G protein-coupled receptor activity

Primary system

Nervous system

Strongest disease association

type 2 diabetes mellitus

Genetic evidence · score 0.86

Therapeutic maturity

Clinically validated target

4 approved medicines against this target

Druggability

Small molecule

Open Targets tractability · Approved Drug

Clinical development

4 approved · 1 in clinical development

30 linked trials

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function

High affinity receptor for melatonin. Likely to mediate the reproductive and circadian actions of melatonin. The activity of this receptor is mediated by pertussis toxin sensitive G proteins that inhibit adenylate cyclase activity

Subcellular location

Cell membrane
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (19)

Gene Ontology

  • Cplasma membrane
  • Csynapse
  • FG protein-coupled receptor activity
  • Fmelatonin receptor activity
  • Pcamera-type eye development
  • Pchemical synaptic transmission
  • PG protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway
  • PG protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway, coupled to cyclic nucleotide second messenger
  • Pglucose homeostasis
  • Pnegative regulation of cytosolic calcium ion concentration
  • Pnegative regulation of insulin secretion
  • Pnegative regulation of neuron apoptotic process

362 aa · 40 kDa

Biological roles

Reactome v97

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

G protein-coupled signallingGOSynaptic signallingGOApoptosis & cell deathGO
View supporting evidence

G protein-coupled signalling

  • ·G protein-coupled receptor activity
  • ·G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway
  • ·G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway, coupled to cyclic nucleotide second messen…

Synaptic signalling

  • ·synapse
  • ·chemical synaptic transmission

Apoptosis & cell death

  • ·negative regulation of neuron apoptotic process
View underlying pathways (2)

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Interaction neighbourhood

STRING v12.0

Proteins with the strongest functional or physical association. Node size and line weight reflect STRING confidence; hover or select a partner to inspect one association.

GNB1GNAI1MTNR1AGPR50GNB2GNB4GNB3GNB5GNAQGNG4MTNR1B

10 strongest partners — larger node and heavier line mean higher confidence

Functional and physical associations from STRING v12.0. Only associations with this protein are drawn — partner-to-partner links are not part of this evidence.

Drugs targeting this protein

2

Whether each drug engages this protein directly or through a complex, and how many other targets are recorded for it. Direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

Melatonin
ApprovedAgonist

Melatonin receptor agonist

Appears in clinical studies involving insomnia, autism, Sleep disturbance, insomnia

Acts on a complex — shared with MTNR1A · 1 of 2 recorded protein targets — narrow recorded profile

agomelatine
ApprovedAgonist

Melatonin receptor agonist

Appears in clinical studies involving major depressive disorder, treatment resistant depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depressive disorder

Acts on a complex — shared with MTNR1A · 1 of 3 recorded protein targets — narrow recorded profile

ChEMBL mechanism, action type and target identity. Open Targets clinical status and indications.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically — disease associations, drugs in development, tractability and safety, from Open Targets.

Strongest genetic associations

Human genetic evidence — the most direct causal link between this target and a disease.

type 2 diabetes mellitus0.86

Genetic · overall 0.61

diabetes mellitus0.84

Genetic · overall 0.58

gestational diabetes0.83

Genetic · overall 0.54

glucose metabolism disease0.73

Genetic · overall 0.44

metabolic syndrome0.72

Genetic · overall 0.46

Highest-confidence therapeutic associations

Diseases where a drug acting on this target has already reached clinical development.

insomnia0.98

Clinical · overall 0.60

major depressive disorder0.95

Clinical · overall 0.58

sleep-wake disorder0.79

Clinical · overall 0.48

Sleep disturbance0.66

Clinical · overall 0.40

Highest overall evidence

Remaining associations by Open Targets' aggregated evidence score.

Abnormal glucose homeostasis0.39

Genetic

Show all associations
type 2 diabetes mellitus0.61
insomnia0.60
major depressive disorder0.58
diabetes mellitus0.58
gestational diabetes0.54
sleep-wake disorder0.48
metabolic syndrome0.46
glucose metabolism disease0.44
Sleep disturbance0.40
Abnormal glucose homeostasis0.39

Open Targets ranks 297 associations for this target and we store the top 10 by aggregated score. The long tail is largely literature co-mention and RNA-expression evidence, not evidence that this target drives those diseases.

Known drugs · 5 total

PIROMELATINEPhase 2 3

Alzheimer disease · dementia · Alzheimer disease

AGOMELATINEApproval

major depressive disorder · treatment resistant depression · obsessive-compulsive disorder

RAMELTEONApproval

insomnia · bipolar I disorder · depressive disorder

TASIMELTEONApproval

Chromosomal anomaly · sleep-wake disorder · insomnia

MELATONINApproval

insomnia · autism · Sleep disturbance

Tractability

SM · Approved DrugSM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · Druggable FamilyAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt loc med confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMPR · Small Molecule Binder

Safety liabilities

decreased anxietyabdominal paindecreased blood pressurenightmaresincreased sleepincreased memorydecreased sleepdecreased paindecreased memory

Clinical trials

30

Trials of drugs that target this protein — reached indirectly through those drugs, so a trial listed here studies the drug, not the protein.

Show remaining trials (24)

RECRUITING · via Melatonin · NCT06226025

UNKNOWN · via Melatonin · NCT05857046

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · via Melatonin · NCT00262470

UNKNOWN · via Melatonin · NCT03013790

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

Forefront confidence

Synthesis

Our own weighting of the evidence behind each disease association. Human genetics and clinical evidence count for most; literature co-mention counts for little, because two entities sharing an abstract is not evidence that one drives the other.

type 2 diabetes mellitusWell supported
0.93
agreement 0.831.00
Genetic59%Clinical23%Literature9%Animal model9%

Open Targets aggregate 0.61 · 4 independent evidence families

diabetes mellitusWell supported
0.91
agreement 0.811.00
Genetic62%Clinical24%Animal model10%Literature5%

Open Targets aggregate 0.58 · 4 independent evidence families

gestational diabetesWell supported
0.87
agreement 0.760.98
Genetic79%Literature13%Clinical9%

Open Targets aggregate 0.54 · 3 independent evidence families

metabolic syndromeWell supported
0.75
agreement 0.650.86
Genetic86%Clinical11%Literature3%

Open Targets aggregate 0.46 · 3 independent evidence families

insomniaModerately supported
0.74
agreement 0.590.90
Clinical97%Literature4%

Open Targets aggregate 0.60 · 2 independent evidence families

The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the underlying per-type scores are shown above so the calculation can be checked.

What's happening now

23

Recent activity around this target, drawn from one canonical event stream. Every item is reached through 2 drugs that target this protein, so each event is news about that drug rather than about the protein directly.

  1. Trial status changed2026-07-14

    The Effect of Preoperative Oral Melatonin on Postoperative Pain Control After Cesarean Section: A Dose Comparison Study

    Status changed to Completed · ClinicalTrials.gov · via Melatonin

  2. New publication2025-12-22
    STAT3 Signaling Mediates Agomelatine Restoration of Prefrontal Cortex Synaptic Plasticity in Chronic Social Defeat Stress Mice.

    Molecular neurobiology · 2025 · 1 citation · Europe PMC · via agomelatine

  3. New publication2025-04-23
    Molecular Links Between Circadian Rhythm Disruption, Melatonin, and Neurodegenerative Diseases: An Updated Review.

    Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025 · 12 citations · Europe PMC · via Melatonin

  4. New publication2024-09-03
    Dysfunctional mitochondria in age-related neurodegeneration: Utility of melatonin as an antioxidant treatment.

    Ageing research reviews · 2024 · 37 citations · Europe PMC · via Melatonin

  5. New publication2024-09-01
    Melatonin Regulates Neuronal Synaptic Plasticity in the Supramammillary Nucleus and Attenuates Methamphetamine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference and Sensitization in Mice.

    Journal of pineal research · 2024 · 7 citations · Europe PMC · via Melatonin

  6. New publication2024-08-02
    Transcriptomic Plasticity of the Circadian Clock in Response to Photoperiod: A Study in Male Melatonin-Competent Mice.

    Journal of biological rhythms · 2024 · 9 citations · Europe PMC · via Melatonin

  7. New publication2024-07-13
    The Role of Gut Microbiome in Sleep Quality and Health: Dietary Strategies for Microbiota Support.

    Nutrients · 2024 · 31 citations · Europe PMC · via Melatonin

  8. New publication2024-06-28
    Presence of melatonin in foods of daily consumption: The benefit of this hormone for health.

    Food chemistry · 2024 · 7 citations · Europe PMC · via Melatonin

  9. New publication2024-04-19
    Melatonin: a ferroptosis inhibitor with potential therapeutic efficacy for the post-COVID-19 trajectory of accelerated brain aging and neurodegeneration.

    Molecular neurodegeneration · 2024 · 15 citations · Europe PMC · via Melatonin

  10. New publication2023-12-01
    The European Insomnia Guideline: An update on the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia 2023.

    Journal of sleep research · 2023 · 489 citations · Europe PMC · via Melatonin

  11. New publication2023-08-17
    The role of Neurochemicals, Stress Hormones and Immune System in the Positive Feedback Loops between Diabetes, Obesity and Depression.

    Frontiers in endocrinology · 2023 · 12 citations · Europe PMC · via Melatonin

  12. Regulatory approval2022-11-07

    Approval: Melatonin Neurim (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via Melatonin

Objective event titles are shown unmodified; the event kind and significance line are derived from structured fields. Forefront AttentionEvent stream aggregating Europe PMC Regulatory filings ClinicalTrials.gov.