The steroid, thyroid, retinoic acid PPAR and vitamin D receptors, plus a growing number of orphan receptors are members of a superfamily of nuclear proteins that regulate transcription. These receptors control, among other things, developmental processes, tissue-specific differentiation, the growth and death of normal and malignant cells, reproductive behavior and metabolic activity. They act directly by binding to the hormone response elements of target promoters, or indirectly, by mechanisms that include interactions with transcriptional coregulators, or cross-talk with other signaling pathways. Among the problems facing this field are the mechanisms of tissue-specific regulation; cell-cycling and cancer; interactions with coregulatory factors; transcriptional integration of cell surface/nuclear receptor signals; the regulatory role of chromatin; post-translational modifications of receptors and isoform-specific actions; mechanisms of antagonists; receptor and domain structure; the function of orphan receptors. The intent of this meeting is to bring together leading experts in this diverse field, joined by younger investigators and trainees entering the field. The program includes state-of-the-art plenary lectures plus poster sessions. Selected abstracts authored by junior attendees will be chosen prior to the conference date and scheduled for 10-minute oral presentations. Our goal is two fold: First, to nurture and extend the intellectual interactions fostered by previous Keystone Symposia conferences on this receptor family. Second, to create a venue at which students and fellows can orally present their data to the fully assembled group.
