Historical overview of nuclear receptors. Issue 157 (March 2016) - Gustafsson, Jan-Ake
Highlights: Discovery of estrogen receptor or estrophilin by Jensen in 1958. Discovery of the three-domain structure of nuclear receptors in 1970's by the Gustafsson Lab. Discovery of specific DNA binding of the glucocorticoid receptor by Yamamoto and Gustafsson in 1981. Cloning of the first (partial) cDNA of a nuclear receptor (the GR) by Yamamoto and Gustafsson in 1984. Cloning of the full length GR by Evans in 1985. Abstract: This review summarizes the birth of the field of nuclear receptors, from Jensen's discovery of estrogen receptor alpha, Gustafsson's discovery of the three-domain structure of the glucocorticoid receptor, the discovery of the glucocorticoid response element and the first partial cloning of the glucocorticoid receptor. Furthermore the discovery of the novel receptors called orphan receptors is described.