Estrogen and related hormone effects

Estrogen exerts its effects largely by binding to nuclear receptors that travel to the genome and switch genes on or off, a process that has been studied intensively because its dysregulation drives the majority of breast cancers. Researchers working at the intersection of biochemistry and genetics have mapped how these receptors cooperate with coregulator proteins, respond to crosstalk with glucocorticoid signaling pathways, and vary in activity across different tissue types and disease states. Drugs like tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors were developed to block this signaling axis and have saved many lives, yet a central challenge remains understanding why tumors frequently develop resistance to them at the molecular level. Current work focuses on identifying the precise genomic binding patterns of estrogen receptors, the coactivators they recruit under different conditions, and how this knowledge might guide the design of more durable therapies.

Works

123,228

Total citations

2,709,524

Keywords

EstrogenReceptorSignalingBreast CancerGlucocorticoidsNuclear Receptors