Researchers' Proposals


Nuclear hormone receptors in myeloid cells


Our group’s research focuses on the molecular and cell biology of lipid activated transcription factors so called nuclear receptors. Nuclear hormone receptor are ligand activated transcription factors participating in the regulation of cellular proliferation, differentiation and homeostasis. There is an emerging group of receptors such as PPARs, LXR,SXR which do not appear to have high affinity endogenous ligands (hormones) but rather several low affinity, highly abundant activators (metabolites)were identified for these receptors. It is our hypothesis that these receptors act as sensors of metabolic state and translate it directly to the level of transcription. We decided to study these processes in white blood cells (monocytes/macrophages). We try to understand how these receptors modulate macrophage function, which genes/gene networks get activated by them and what is their contribution to disease states such as diabetes, obesity and atherosclerosis.