Nuclear Receptor Coactivators: Structural and Functional Biochemistry

Transcription of eukaryotic cell is a multistep process tightly controlled by concerted action of macromolecules. Nuclear receptors are ligand-activated sequence-specific transcription factors that bind DNA and activate (or repress) transcription of specific sets of nuclear target genes. Successful activation of transcription by nuclear receptors and most other transcription factors requires coregulators of transcription. Coregulators make up a diverse family of proteins that physically interact with and modulate the activity of transcription factors and other components of the gene expression machinery via multiple biochemical mechanisms. The coregulators include coactivators that accomplish reactions required for activation of transcription and corepressors that suppress transcription. This review summarizes our current knowledge of nuclear receptor coactivators with an emphasis on their biochemical mechanisms of action and means of regulation.