The cell cycle in steroid hormone regulated proliferation and differentiation

Steroid hormones mediate pleiotropic cellular processes involved in metabolism, cellular proliferation, and differentiation. The ability of the cell to respond to its hormonal environment is transduced by nuclear receptors (NRs) that bind both hormone and DNA. Hence, NRs represent a link between the external hormonal milieu and the genes that control cell physiology. Therefore, understanding the effects of steroid hormones on proliferation and differentiation requires a knowledge of the cell cycle, the interaction of NRs at the level of transcription, and the potential areas of cross-talk between these two.