Molecular action of androgens.

The androgen receptor (AR), which mediates androgen action in the cell, belongs to the superfamily of nuclear receptors, a large group of transcription factors. Recent studies have described how the AR acts on specific target genes. The receptor's specificity of action depends on its regulation at different levels: expression in the cells, ligand binding and DNA-specific sequence recognition by structurally conserved domains and regulation by transcriptional factors in an integrated response. We propose, here, an overview of recent works on the molecular regulation of androgen-dependent genes by AR. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.