Retinoid receptors are
nuclear receptor
In the field of molecular biology, nuclear receptors are a class of proteins responsible for sensing steroids, thyroid hormones, vitamins, and certain other molecules. These receptors work with other proteins to regulate the expression of speci ...
s (a class of
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...
s) that bind to
retinoid
The retinoids are a class of chemical compounds that are vitamers of vitamin A or are chemically related to it. Retinoids have found use in medicine where they regulate epithelial cell growth.
Retinoids have many important functions throughout t ...
s. When bound to a retinoid, they act as
transcription factor
In molecular biology, a transcription factor (TF) (or sequence-specific DNA-binding factor) is a protein that controls the rate of transcription of genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA, by binding to a specific DNA sequence. The fu ...
s, altering the
expression of genes with corresponding response elements. Significant age-related declines in the levels of retinoid receptors in the
forebrains of rats have been reversed by supplementation with the
omega-3 fatty acids
eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which can restore
neurogenesis
Neurogenesis is the process by which nervous system cells, the neurons, are produced by neural stem cells (NSCs). It occurs in all species of animals except the porifera (sponges) and placozoans. Types of NSCs include neuroepithelial cells (NECs) ...
.
Subtypes include:
*
Retinoic acid receptors (RARs)
*
Retinoid X receptor
The retinoid X receptor (RXR) is a type of nuclear receptor that is activated by 9-cis retinoic acid, which is discussed controversially to be of endogenous relevance, and 9-''cis''-13,14-dihydroretinoic acid, which is likely to be the major e ...
s (RXRs)
*
RAR-related orphan receptors (RORs)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Retinoid Receptor
Intracellular receptors