Structure and function of steroid receptors

Hormone Biochemistry Department, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, P.O. Box 123, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London wc2a 3px received 19 February 1987 Introduction Steroids combine with a cytosolic 8S, oligomeric receptor protein which, after activation, binds to nuclear chromatin and elicits a biological response. This statement in one form or another can be found in numerous articles and text books. However, the generation of antibodies against the ligand binding unit of several steroid receptors, together with the resultant identification of receptor mRNAs, cDNAs and genes has led to the questioning of some and the validation of other parts of that dogma. In this review, it will not be possible to survey each class of receptors separately and a more general approach will be adopted, although where differences exist they will be identified. An exhaustive assessment of the literature will not be attempted; references will be selected to illustrate the point under discussion.