title: Activation incarnate.
abstract: Three new publications reveal that the nuclear receptors LRH-1, DHR38, and Nurr1 can assume active conformations in the absence of a ligand agonist. These reports help elucidate how transcriptional regulators are themselves regulated.
authors.affiliation: Section of Microbiology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Martin L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Privalsky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018257:Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs; D006801:Humans; D007301:Insect Hormones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D057126:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 2; D011487:Protein Conformation; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051820:TCF Transcription Factors; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D058125:Transcription Factor 7-Like 1 Protein; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C095176:Hr38 protein, Drosophila; D007301:Insect Hormones; C539882:NR4A2 protein, human; C539883:Nr4a2 protein, mouse; C431936:Nr5a2 protein, mouse; D057126:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 2; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D051820:TCF Transcription Factors; C544912:TCF7L1 protein, human; C544913:Tcf7l1 protein, mouse; D015534:Trans-Activators; D058125:Transcription Factor 7-Like 1 Protein; D014157:Transcription Factors