How nuclear receptors work in daily biological rhythms

Circadian rhythms impact various aspects of human physiology and are associated with multiple disease conditions.

• Disruption of normal circadian rhythms may contribute to conditions like depression, metabolic disorders, and cancer.
• The circadian clock is maintained by a molecular mechanism involving transcription factors such as CLOCK and BMAL, along with their co-repressors PER and CRY.
• Nuclear receptors (NRs) are hormone-sensitive transcriptional regulators that play roles in development, energy metabolism, and inflammation.
• Recent findings suggest that NRs not only are regulated by the circadian clock but also may regulate the clock itself.
• Nuclear receptors could be promising pharmacological targets for managing diseases linked to circadian rhythm disruption.

Simplified