The Salk Institute

Steven A Kliewer

Ronald Mark Evans

Kazuhiko Umesono

Barry M Forman

David John Mangelsdorf

Estelita S Ong

Bruce Blumberg

In accordance with the present invention, it has been discovered that various members of the steroid/thyroid superfamily of receptors can interact to form multimeric species comprising a complex of more than one receptor. Accordingly, the interaction of a first receptor species with a second receptor species modulates the ability of the first receptor species to trans-activate transcription of genes maintained under hormone expression control in the presence of the cognate ligand for said first receptor.

Multimeric forms of members of the steroid/thyroid superfamily of receptors

Novel peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor subunits designated PPAR.gamma. and PPAR.delta. are described. Nucleic acid sequences encoding the receptor subunits, expression vectors containing such sequences and host cells transformed with such vectors are also disclosed, as are heterodimeric PPAR receptors comprising at least one of the invention subunits, and methods for the expression of such novel receptors, and various uses therefor.

Nucleic acids encoding peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor

DNA segments have been discovered, and characterized by sequence, which are response elements operative to confer responsiveness to retinoic acid, or derivatives thereof, for the transcriptional activation of promoters in cells. By using transcriptional control regions comprising response elements of the present invention in combination with a functional promoter, it is now possible to provide recombinant DNA vectors containing a gene, the transcription (and, thereby, also expression) of which is under the control of a promoter, the transcriptional activity of which is responsive to (and increased by) retinoic acid or derivatives thereof.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Steven A Kliewer