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Updated: Jul 8, 2025

Biochemical Reconstitution of Steroid Receptor•Hsp90 Protein Complexes and Reactivation of Ligand Binding
Published on: September 21, 2011
Multiplexed Membrane Signaling by Glucocorticoids
Laura M Harrison1, Jeffrey G Tasker1
1Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118.
Abstract:
Glucocorticoids exert pleiotropic effects either by a relatively slow mechanism involving binding to cytosolic/nuclear receptors and regulation of gene expression or by rapid activation of a putative membrane receptor and membrane signal transduction. Rapid glucocorticoid actions are initiated at the membrane and recruit intracellular signaling pathways that engage multiple downstream cellular targets, including lipid and gas intercellular messengers, membrane neurotransmitter receptor trafficking, nuclear glucocorticoid receptor activation and trafficking, and more. Thus, membrane glucocorticoid signaling diverges into a multiplexed array of signaling pathways to simultaneously regulate highly diverse cellular functions, giving these steroid hormones a broad range of rapid regulatory capabilities. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the growing body of knowledge of the cell signaling mechanisms of rapid glucocorticoid actions in the brain.
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