title: Nuclear Receptors, RXR, and the Big Bang.
abstract: Isolation of genes encoding the receptors for steroids, retinoids, vitamin D, and thyroid hormone and their structural and functional analysis revealed an evolutionarily conserved template for nuclear hormone receptors. This discovery sparked identification of numerous genes encoding related proteins, termed orphan receptors. Characterization of these orphan receptors and, in particular, of the retinoid X receptor (RXR) positioned nuclear receptors at the epicenter of the "Big Bang" of molecular endocrinology. This Review provides a personal perspective on nuclear receptors and explores their integrated and coordinated signaling networks that are essential for multicellular life, highlighting the RXR heterodimer and its associated ligands and transcriptional mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute; The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Electronic address: evans@salk.edu.
authors.forename: Ronald M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute; The Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6001 Forest Park Road, Dallas, TX 75390, USA. Electronic address: davo.mango@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Mangelsdorf
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004704:Endocrinology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D047488:Retinoid X Receptors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D047488:Retinoid X Receptors