Title:Progress and Promise of Nur77-based Therapeutics for Central Nervous System Disorders
Volume: 19
Issue: 4
Author(s): Lu Liu, Di Ma, La Zhuo, Xinyuan Pang, Jiulin You and Jiachun Feng*
Affiliation:
- Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin Province,China
Keywords:
Nur77, apoptosis, inflammation, central nervous system, stroke, multiple sclerosis.
Abstract: Nur77 belongs to the NR4A subgroup of the nuclear receptor superfamily. Unlike other
nuclear receptors, a natural ligand for Nur77 has not been identified yet. However, a few small
molecules can interact with this receptor and induce a conformational change to mediate its activity.
The expression and activation of Nur77 can be rapidly increased using various physiological and
pathological stimuli. In vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated its regulatory role in tissues and
cells of multiple systems by means of participation in cell differentiation, apoptosis, metabolism,
mitochondrial homeostasis, and other processes. Although research on Nur77 in the pathophysiology
of the central nervous system (CNS) is currently limited, the present data support the fact that
Nur77 is involved in many neurological disorders such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s
disease. This indicates that activation of Nur77 has considerable potential in treating these diseases.
This review summarizes the regulatory mechanisms of Nur77 in CNS diseases and presents available
evidence for its potential as targeted therapy, especially for cerebrovascular and inflammationrelated
CNS diseases.