Steroid Receptor RNA Activator - A nuclear receptor coregulator with multiple partners: Insights and challenges

Steroid Receptor RNA Activator (SRA) occupies a unique and enigmatic position within the nuclear receptor (NR) field and more broadly in transcriptional regulation. This is as a result of its transcripts having both coding and non-coding coactivator activities along with its protein product SRAP performing mixed coactivator/repressor functions. Recent publications have provided greater understanding of SRA gene product activities and how they affect not only NR function, but now more broadly, signalling pathways involved in differentiation and metabolism. This review will discuss the isolation of SRA, its gene products, regulation of transcription along with its in vitro and in vivo activities with a particular focus on its actions as an RNA and its binding partners. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.