| Retinoid X Receptor Alpha | |
|---|---|
| Gene Symbol | RXRA |
| Full Name | Retinoid X Receptor Alpha |
| Chromosome | 9q34.3 |
| NCBI Gene ID | 6256 |
| OMIM | 180245 |
| Ensembl ID | ENSG00000149257 |
| UniProt ID | P19793 |
| Associated Diseases | Cancer, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Metabolic Disorders |
RXRA (Retinoid X Receptor Alpha) is a gene encoding a protein involved in metabolic regulation. Located on chromosome 9q34.3, this gene encodes a protein that plays important roles in lipid metabolism, energy homeostasis, and transcriptional regulation.[1] The gene is expressed in multiple tissues including brain, where it is involved in neuroprotective pathways and inflammation.[2] Mutations or dysregulation of RXRA have been implicated in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and metabolic disorders.[3]
RXRA (Retinoid X Receptor alpha) is a nuclear receptor that functions as a transcription factor. It is a ligand-activated receptor that binds 9-cis retinoic acid. RXRA plays crucial roles in development, cell differentiation, metabolism, and homeostasis. RXRA typically forms heterodimers with other nuclear receptors including PPARs, vitamin D receptor (VDR), thyroid hormone receptor (TR), and retinoic acid receptors (RARs). These heterodimers bind to DNA response elements and regulate gene expression. RXRA is essential for the function of many nuclear receptor pathways.
RXRA is implicated in neurodegenerative diseases through its role in nuclear receptor signaling. In Alzheimer's disease, RXRA is involved in retinoic acid signaling which affects neuronal differentiation and survival. Dysregulation of retinoid signaling has been implicated in AD pathogenesis. In Parkinson's disease, RXRA may influence dopaminergic neuron survival through various pathways. RXRA also heterodimerizes with PPARA and other nuclear receptors relevant to neurodegeneration. Targeting RXRA/nuclear receptor pathways is being explored for neurotherapeutics.
RXRA is expressed in most tissues with high expression in liver, kidney, lung, and brain. In the brain, it is widely expressed including in cortex, hippocampus, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. Expression is detected in neurons and glial cells. Multiple RXRA isoforms exist with different tissue distributions.