NR4A (nuclear receptor subfamily 4A) is a family of
orphan
An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died.
In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...
nuclear receptors
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 specif ...
which act as
transcription factors
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 fun ...
in neuron development and maintenance. In 2006, it was shown that members of the NR4A family were implicated in the control of skeletal muscle metabolism.
Three members have been identified in humans:
*
Nuclear receptor 4A1 (),
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Nuclear receptor 4A2
The nuclear receptor 4A2 (NR4A2) (nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A member 2) also known as nuclear receptor related 1 protein (NURR1) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''NR4A2'' gene. NR4A2 is a member of the nuclear receptor fami ...
(), and
*
Nuclear receptor 4A3
The nuclear receptor 4A3 (NR4A3) (nuclear receptor subfamily 4, group A, member 3) also known as neuron-derived orphan receptor 1 (NOR1) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''NR4A3'' gene. NR4A3 is a member of the nuclear receptor famil ...
().
References
Intracellular receptors
Transcription factors
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