title: Action mechanisms of Liver X Receptors.
abstract: The two Liver X Receptors, LXRα and LXRβ, are nuclear receptors belonging to the superfamily of ligand-activated transcription factors. They share more than 78% homology in amino acid sequence, a common profile of oxysterol ligands and the same heterodimerization partner, Retinoid X Receptor. LXRs play crucial roles in several metabolic pathways: lipid metabolism, in particular in preventing cellular cholesterol accumulation; glucose homeostasis; inflammation; central nervous system functions and water transport. As with all nuclear receptors, the transcriptional activity of LXR is the result of an orchestration of numerous cellular factors including ligand bioavailability, presence of corepressors and coactivators and cellular context i.e., what other pathways are activated in the cell at the time the receptor recognizes its ligand. In this mini-review we summarize the factors regulating the transcriptional activity and the mechanisms of action of these two receptors.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling, University of Houston, 3056 Cullen Blv, 77204 Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gabbi
authors.affiliation: Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling, University of Houston, 3056 Cullen Blv, 77204 Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Warner
authors.affiliation: Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling, University of Houston, 3056 Cullen Blv, 77204 Houston, Texas, USA; Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Novum S-141 86, Sweden. Electronic address: jgustafs@central.uh.edu.
authors.forename: Jan-Åke
authors.initials: JÅ
authors.lastname: Gustafsson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D006888:Hydroxycholesterols / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071518:Liver X Receptors; D057093:Orphan Nuclear Receptors / Q000502:physiology*; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006888:Hydroxycholesterols; D000071518:Liver X Receptors; C000605213:NR1H3 protein, human; D057093:Orphan Nuclear Receptors; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D014157:Transcription Factors; C044563:24-hydroxycholesterol
keywords: LXR; Nuclear receptor; Oxysterol