Definition
Two adrenal corticosteroids, the mineralocorticoid aldosterone and the glucocorticoid cortisol, exert profound influences on many physiological functions by virtue of their diverse roles in growth, development and maintenance of homeostasis. Their actions are mediated by intracellular receptor proteins, the glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid (MR) receptors, which function as hormone-activated transcription factors that regulate the expression of, respectively, the glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid target genes.
Characteristics
GR is ubiquitously expressed in almost all human tissues and organs. The presence of glucocorticoids is crucial for the integrity of CNS function and for maintenance of cardiovascular, metabolic and immune homeostasis. Increased glucocorticoid secretion during stress alters CNS function, assists with adjustments in energy expenditures and modulates the inflammatory/immune response. Since glucocorticoids possess a broad array of...
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References
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© 2006 Springer-Verlag
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Kino, T., Chrousos, G.P. (2006). Steroid Hormone Receptor Defects, Molecular Basis. In: Encyclopedic Reference of Genomics and Proteomics in Molecular Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg . https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-29623-9_0970
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-29623-9_0970
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-44244-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-29623-2
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