Nuclear hormone receptors as targets for new drug discovery.

There are two basic types of receptor transducing systems: those which utilize membrane bound receptors and are activated at the cell surface by the appropriate hormone and transmit their signal to the internae of the cell via a second messenger (i.e. cAMP), and those that utilize internal, cytoplasmic or nuclear receptors (intracellular receptors) which upon activation by hormones interact directly with DNA and alter the genetic program of a cell. This review focuses on the mechanism of action of these intracellular receptors and discusses how such an understanding is expected to facilitate the discovery of new therapeutic agents.

Duke Scholars

Author Donald Patrick McDonnell Pharmacology & Cancer Biology