Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.
Subscribe

Sci. STKE, 25 June 2002
Vol. 2002, Issue 138, p. re9
[DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.1382002re9]

REVIEWS

Rapid Actions of Steroid Receptors in Cellular Signaling Pathways

Andrew C. B. Cato1*, Andrea Nestl1, and Sigrun Mink2

1Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Post Office Box 3640, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany.
2G2M Cancer Drugs AG South, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, D-76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.

Gloss: Steroid hormones control diverse processes in reproduction and development. In target cells, they diffuse through the plasma membrane and bind to cytoplasmic receptors that mediate their action. Upon hormone binding, the steroid receptors undergo a conformational change and translocate to the nucleus, where they bind discrete nucleotide sequences to enhance the expression of specific genes. Steroid receptors also negatively regulate gene expression by binding to and down-regulating the activity of distinct transcription factors involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, and programmed cell death. Because all these responses require nuclear localization of the receptors, they are termed genomic functions, and they require about 30 to 60 minutes. These regulatory properties of steroid hormones can be distinguished from more rapid actions (<10 minutes) reminiscent of the activities of peptide hormones in the activation of signal transduction cascades. The mechanisms involved in initiating the rapid responses are still unclear, but they range from contributions of unidentified receptors to the involvement of heterotrimeric guanosine triphosphate-binding proteins (G proteins), or even the classical steroid receptors. Considerable advances have been made recently in the elucidation of the rapid responses mediated by steroid receptors. Accumulating evidence shows that a small but significant percentage of the conventional steroid receptors reside at the plasma membrane after ligand binding. From this location, they trigger diverse signaling cascades needed for cell proliferation and other biological processes. The effector molecules activated by the steroid receptors include mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), adenylyl cyclase (AC), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and protein kinase C (PKC). Thus, steroid receptors integrate classical functions as transcription factors in the nucleus with functions as signaling molecules at the plasma membrane. These two properties together make up the entire repertoire of regulatory functions so far attributed to steroid hormones.

*Corresponding author. Telephone, +49 7247 822146; fax, +49 7242 823354; e-mail, andrew.cato{at}igen.fzk.de

Citation: A. C. B. Cato, A. Nestl, S. Mink, Rapid Actions of Steroid Receptors in Cellular Signaling Pathways. Sci. STKE 2002, re9 (2002).

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Sperm metabolism in pigs: a role for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR{gamma}).
M. Santoro, C. Guido, F. De Amicis, D. Sisci, D. Vizza, S. Gervasi, A. Carpino, and S. Aquila (2013)
J. Exp. Biol. 216, 1085-1092
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Corticosteroids, Heart Failure, and Hypertension: A Role for Immune Cells?.
J. Z. Shen and M. J. Young (2012)
Endocrinology 153, 5692-5700
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Nongenomic glucocorticoid receptor action regulates gap junction intercellular communication and neural progenitor cell proliferation.
R. A. Samarasinghe, R. Di Maio, D. Volonte, F. Galbiati, M. Lewis, G. Romero, and D. B. DeFranco (2011)
PNAS 108, 16657-16662
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Glucocorticoid regulation of human pulmonary surfactant protein-B (SP-B) mRNA stability is independent of activated glucocorticoid receptor.
C. C. Tillis, H. W. Huang, W. Bi, S. Pan, S. R. Bruce, and J. L. Alcorn (2011)
Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 300, L940-L950
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
GPRC6A Mediates the Non-genomic Effects of Steroids.
M. Pi, A. L. Parrill, and L. D. Quarles (2010)
J. Biol. Chem. 285, 39953-39964
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Differential Protein Expression Profiles in Estrogen Receptor-Positive and -Negative Breast Cancer Tissues Using Label-Free Quantitative Proteomics.
K. Rezaul, J. K. Thumar, D. H. Lundgren, J. K. Eng, K. P. Claffey, L. Wilson, and D. K. Han (2010)
Genes & Cancer 1, 251-271
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION: A New Mediator for an Old Hormone?.
S. C. Hewitt, B. J. Deroo, and K. S. Korach (2005)
Science 307, 1572-1573
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »

To Advertise     Find Products

Science Signaling. ISSN 1937-9145 (online), 1945-0877 (print). Pre-2008: Science's STKE. ISSN 1525-8882