Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor

[1] PPARs play essential roles in the regulation of cellular differentiation, development, and metabolism (carbohydrate, lipid, protein),[2] and tumorigenesis[3] of higher organisms.

[4][5] Three types of PPARs have been identified: alpha, gamma, and delta (beta):[4] These agents, pharmacologically related to the fibrates were discovered in the early 1980s.

PPARs were originally identified in Xenopus frogs as receptors that induce the proliferation of peroxisomes in cells in 1992.

After PPARδ (delta) was identified in humans in 1992,[9] it turned out to be closely related to PPARβ (beta), previously described during the same year in an amphibian, Xenopus.

The term "PPARδ" is generally used in the US, whereas the use of "PPARβ" has remained in Europe, where this receptor was initially discovered in Xenopus.

[10][11] All PPARs heterodimerize with the retinoid X receptor (RXR) and bind to specific regions on the DNA of target genes.

These DNA sequences are termed PPREs (peroxisome proliferator hormone response elements).

Certain other polymorphisms in PPAR show a high incidence in populations with elevated body mass indexes.