Introduction to the Nuclear Receptor Review Series

Abstract

This Introduction is part of a thematic series on Nuclear Receptors , which includes the following articles: Introduction to the Nuclear Receptor Review Series Control of Macrophage Activation and Function by PPARs [2010;106:1559–1569] PGC Coactivators in the Developing and Diseased Heart PPARs and the Vessel Wall LXR, Inflammation, and Vascular Disease Estrogen Receptor Signaling and Cardiovascular Disease Daniel P. Kelly Guest Editor Heart and vascular diseases comprise a worldwide health threat, despite significant advances in the treatment of some components of these lethal disorders. One barrier to effectively addressing modern cardiovascular disease relates to our lack of a full understanding of how multiple pathways converge to drive pathogenesis. The unique and aggressive forms of vascular and heart disease related to common metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, is one example of this complexity. Indeed, we are witnessing an emerging pandemic of obesity that is driving type 2 diabetes and its lethal cardiovascular complications.1–3 Evidence is emerging that the distinct forms of cardiovascular disease driven by the diabetic state involves the interaction of metabolic derangements with chronic inflammation, together with traditional etiologic determinants such as hypertension.4,5 The regulatory nodal points that connect these pathological processes must be defined to fully delineate the relevant disease mechanisms and to identify new drug targets. An explosion of new information has revealed that members of the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily serve a central role in directing gene regulatory programs that control metabolism, inflammation, and myriad other biological and physiological processes. NRs maintain cellular and organismal homeostasis …