The ligand binding domain of nuclear receptors, a family of ligand-activated transcription regulators
Ligand-binding domain (LBD) of nuclear receptor (NR): Nuclear receptors form a superfamily of ligand-activated transcription regulators, which regulate various physiological functions in metazoans, from development, reproduction, to homeostasis and metabolism. The superfamily contains not only receptors for known ligands but also orphan receptors for which ligands do not exist or have not been identified. The members of the family include receptors of steroids, thyroid hormone, retinoids, cholesterol by-products, lipids and heme. With few exceptions, NRs share a common structural organization with a central well conserved DNA binding domain (DBD), a variable N-terminal domain, a non-conserved hinge and a C-terminal ligand binding domain (LBD).