Ligand binding and nuclear receptor evolution.
Nuclear receptors form a superfamily of ligand-activated transcription factors that regulate various physiological functions, from development to homeostasis, in metazoans. The superfamily contains not only receptors for known ligands but also a large number of so-called orphan receptors for which ligands do not exist or have not been identified. The evolution of ligand-binding capacity of nuclear receptors may involve either secondary loss in orphan receptors, or evolutionary acquisition of ligand-binding capacity in liganded receptors. In this review, we present arguments from phylogenetic, functional and structural studies that support the hypothesis that there have been several independent gains of ligand-binding ability of nuclear receptors during metazoan evolution.
Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Lyon, France.
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H
Escriva
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F
Delaunay
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V
Laudet
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D008954:Models, Biological; D010802:Phylogeny; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D008024:Ligands; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear