Retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARA)

Retinoic acid receptors bind as heterodimers to their goal response elements in reaction to their ligands, all-trans or 9-cis retinoic acid, and modulate gene expression in various biological processes. The RXR/RAR heterodimers bind to the retinoic acid response elements (RARE) composed of tandem 5'-AGGTCA-3' websites called DR1-DR5.

In the absence of ligand, the RXR-RAR heterodimers associate with a multiprotein complex containing transcription corepressors that cause histone acetylation, chromatin condensation and transcriptional suppression. On ligand binding, the corepressors dissociate in the receptors and connect with the coactivators leading to transcriptional activation.