Androgens, such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), are the main male steroid hormones. Androgens not only play a role in the development of embryonic male animals and the sexual maturity during puberty, but also affect the functions of skin, bones, muscle, and the brain. The androgen receptor, a member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily, can bind with androgens and function as a transcription factor to regulate its target gene expression.

 

We will, through the use of androgen receptor knockout mice, further understand the role of androgens in the development, differentiation, and physiology of the bone, immune and reproductive systems, as well as their role in the incidence of cardiovascular disease, renal cell cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and breast cancer.

We will further understand the role of estrogen receptors in the development and physiology of the prostate, bladder, and testis, and their correlation with cardiovascular diseases, through the use of estrogen receptor gene mice.

When steroid hormones are combined with receptors through the cell membrane, the receptors enter the nucleus, which help nuclear receptors bind with the DNA's hormone response element, which activates the gene.

 

Nuclear receptors are a group of important transcription factors. After combining with the hormone response element, they can regulate the expression of many genes and participate in many important physiological processes. They play an important role in cell growth, development, differentiation, and metabolism.

 

The ligands of many nuclear receptors have not yet been identified, which are thus called orphan receptors, and TR4 is one of them.

 

We expect to know more about the regulatory function of these nuclear receptors in the future.