Lee Yoon-Kwang, Moore David D
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Front Biosci. 2008 May 1;13:5950-8. doi: 10.2741/3128.
The liver receptor homolog-1 (LRH-1; NR5A2) belongs to nuclear hormone receptor superfamily, and is expressed mainly in the liver, intestine, exocrine pancreas, and ovary. It binds DNA as a monomer, and is best known as a regulator of hepatic expression of the key bile acid biosynthetic enzyme cholesterol 7alpha hydroxylase (Cyp7A1). It is also expressed in embryonic stem cells and the initial stages of embryonic development, and the very early lethality of LRH-1 knockout mice highlights its essential developmental role. Recent crystal structures of LRH-1 and its closest relative steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1; NR5A1) identified phospholipids as potential ligands. This intriguing discovery raises the possibility of an unexpected new class of nuclear receptor signaling molecules, but the broader functional roles of LRH-1 and these new ligands remain to be established.
肝脏受体同源物-1（LRH-1；NR5A2）属于核激素受体超家族，主要在肝脏、肠道、外分泌胰腺和卵巢中表达。它以单体形式结合DNA，最为人所知的是作为关键胆汁酸生物合成酶胆固醇7α羟化酶（Cyp7A1）肝脏表达的调节因子。它也在胚胎干细胞和胚胎发育的初始阶段表达，LRH-1基因敲除小鼠的早期致死性突出了其在发育中的重要作用。最近LRH-1及其最密切相关的类固醇生成因子-1（SF-1；NR5A1）的晶体结构确定磷脂为潜在配体。这一有趣的发现增加了存在一类意想不到的新型核受体信号分子的可能性，但LRH-1和这些新配体更广泛的功能作用仍有待确定。
