anti-RARα, mAb (9A6)

Retinoic acid receptors (RARs) are nuclear hormone receptors of the NRB1 class, which function as heterodimers with retinoid X receptors (RXRs). There are three distinct RAR subtypes: RARα, RARβ, and RARγ. RARα is present in most tissue types, whereas RARβ and RARγ expression is more selective. RXR-RAR heterodimers act as ligand-dependent transcriptional regulators by binding to the specific retinoic acid response element (RARE) found in the promoter regions of target genes. In the absence of an RAR agonist, RXR-RAR recruits co-repressor proteins such as NCoR and associated factors such as histone deacetylase to maintain a condensed chromatin structure. RAR agonist binding stimulates co-repressor release and co-activator complexes, such as histone acetyltransferase, are recruited to activate transcription. RARs transduce retinoid signals in vivo, which mediates proper embryogenesis, differentiation and growth arrest. RARα (Retinoic Acid Receptor α) is a nuclear receptor and transcription factor that binds retinoic acid (a derivative of vitamin A) and regulates gene expression involved in cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. Dysregulation of the signaling is implicated in breast cancer, lung cancer and other malignancies.