^*Centre for Nephrology, Royal Free and University College Medical School, University College London, Royal Free Campus, Rowland Hill Street, London, United Kingdom

Correspondence: Dr Xiong Z. Ruan, Centre for Nephrology, Royal Free and University College Medical School, University College London, Royal Free Campus, Rowland Hill Street, London NW3 2PF, UK. E-mail:x.ruan@medsch.ucl.ac.uk

Received 28 January 2005; Revised 9 March 2005; Re-revised 11 May 2005; Accepted 16 June 2005.

Abstract

Nuclear receptors and their coregulators in kidney. Nuclear receptors are transcription factors that are essential in embryonic development, maintenance of differentiated cellular phenotypes, metabolism, and apoptosis. Dysfunction of nuclear receptor signaling leads to a wide spectra of proliferative, reproductive, and metabolic diseases, including cancers, infertility, obesity, and diabetes. In addition, many proteins have been identified as coregulators which can be recruited by DNA-binding nuclear receptors to affect transcriptional regulation. The cellular level of coregulators is crucial for nuclear receptor-mediated transcription and many coregulators have been shown to be targets for diverse intracellular signaling pathways and posttranslational modifications. This review provides a general overview of the roles and mechanism of action of nuclear receptors and their coregulators. Since progression of renal diseases is almost always associated with inflammatory processes and/or involve metabolic disorders of lipid and glucose, cell proliferation, hypertrophy, apoptosis, and hypertension, the importance of nuclear receptors and their coregulators in these contexts will be addressed.