Noa Noy, Ph.D.
Professor of Pharmacology
Phone: (216) 368-0302
E-mail: noa.noy@case.edu
BRB 724
Research
Various lipid-soluble nutrients and hormones, such as vitamin A, vitamin D, cholesterol, and long chain fatty acids, regulate cellular behavior by modulating the rates of transcription of multiple genes. The biological activities of these compounds are mediated by transcription factors termed nuclear hormone receptors. These proteins bind to regulatory regions of particular target genes, and they modulate the transcription of these genes in response to the specific hormones that activate them. Consequently, nuclear receptors and their activating hormones have profound effects on cell growth, metabolism, and differentiation, and they are involved in numerous physiological processes. Nuclear receptors also play key roles in various pathologies, and ligands that activate them are in current use as therapeutic and preventive agents in diseases ranging from dermatological disorders to cancer. Work in my laboratory aims to obtain molecular-level understanding of the mechanisms of action of nuclear hormone receptors and their accessory proteins, and to elucidate the consequences of the activities of these proteins for cell function in health and in disease. Of special interest to us are the roles of nuclear receptors in cancer development, in adipose tissue biology, and in diabetes.
Selected References: Kersten, S., Dong, D., Lee, W.-y., Reczek, P. R., and Noy, N. (1998) Auto-silencing by the retinoid X receptor. J. Mol. Biol. 284:21-32 |