Nuclear receptors: Decoding metabolic disease

• Published in: FEBS letters Vol. 582; no. 1; pp. 2 - 9
• Main Authors: Sonoda, Junichiro, Pei, Liming, Evans, Ronald M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier B.V 09.01.2008
• Subjects: Dyslipidemia; Humans; Insulin resistance; Metabolic Diseases - metabolism; Metabolic syndrome; Obesity; Orphan nuclear receptor; Protein Conformation; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear - chemistry; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear - metabolism; Triglycerides - metabolism; Orphan nuclear receptor; Obesity; Insulin resistance; Metabolic syndrome; Dyslipidemia
• ISSN: 0014-5793; 1873-3468
• DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2007.11.016

Nuclear receptors (NR) are a superfamily of ligand-activated transcription factors that regulate development, reproduction, and metabolism of lipids, drugs and energy. The importance of this family of proteins in metabolic disease is exemplified by NR ligands used in the clinic or under exploratory development for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, or other metabolic abnormalities. Genetic studies in humans and rodents support the notion that NRs control a wide variety of metabolic processes by regulating the expression of genes encoding key enzymes, transporters and other proteins involved in metabolic homeostasis. Current knowledge of complex NR metabolic networks is summarized here.