Nuclear hormone receptors belong to a large family of structurally related proteins that include the steroid, retinoic acid, and vitamin D receptors. These receptors function as ligand-activated transcription factors and regulate complex programs of gene expression involved in growth and differentiation of many tissues. Recent studies have established that binding of hormone to nuclear hormone receptors induces a conformational change in the receptor, which facilitates the recruitment of transcriptional coactivator proteins.
