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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Production of Nurr-1 Specific Polyclonal Antibodies Free of Cross-reactivity Against Its Close Homologs, Nor1 and Nur77
Published on: August 17, 2015
NR4A orphan nuclear receptors as mediators of CREB-dependent neuroprotection
Nikolaos Volakakis1, Banafsheh Kadkhodaei, Eliza Joodmardi
1Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract:
Induced expression of neuroprotective genes is essential for maintaining neuronal integrity after stressful insults to the brain. Here we show that NR4A nuclear orphan receptors are induced after excitotoxic and oxidative stress in neurons, up-regulate neuroprotective genes, and increase neuronal survival. Moreover, we show that NR4A proteins are induced by cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) in neurons exposed to stressful insults and that they function as mediators of CREB-induced neuronal survival. Animals with null mutations in three of six NR4A alleles show increased oxidative damage, blunted induction of neuroprotective genes, and increased vulnerability in the hippocampus after treatment with kainic acid. We also demonstrate that NR4A and the transcriptional coactivator PGC-1alpha independently regulate distinct CREB-dependent neuroprotective gene programs. These data identify NR4A nuclear orphan receptors as essential mediators of neuroprotection after exposure to neuropathological stress.
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