ABSTRACT
Nuclear receptors are ligand-activated transcription factors that are involved in a number of physiological functions and disease states such as inflammation, cancer, and metabolism. Nuclear receptors are the target of several currently marketed therapeutics, and many pharmaceutical and academic laboratories are actively screening for novel modulators of these receptors. They are considered to be desirable drug targets, in part, because the ligands that activate them are generally of low molecular weight. This review will give a general overview of the nuclear receptor classes — their structure, function, and potential as drug targets.
