Identification of an endogenous ligand bound to a native orphan nuclear receptor.

ABSTRACT: Orphan nuclear receptors have been instrumental in identifying novel signaling pathways and therapeutic targets. However, identification of ligands for these receptors has often been based on random compound screens or other biased approaches. As a result, it remains unclear in many cases if the reported ligands are the true endogenous ligands,--i.e., the ligand that is bound to the receptor in an unperturbed in vivo setting. Technical limitations have limited our ability to identify ligands based on this rigorous definition. The orphan receptor hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4alpha) is a key regulator of many metabolic pathways and linked to several diseases including diabetes, atherosclerosis, hemophilia and cancer. Here we utilize an affinity isolation/mass-spectrometry (AIMS) ap

SUBMITTER: Yuan X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2680617 | biostudies-literature | 2009

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature