[Nuclear receptors: structure and mechanisms of action].

Nuclear receptors are a superfamily of conserved transcription factors with a unique domain structure. Nuclear receptors play an important role in the regulation of ontogeny, sexual maturation, and cell differentiation, as well as in various metabolic processes. Owing to the specifics of hormonal signaling, Drosophila melanogaster provides a promising model subject for studying the function and regulation of nuclear receptors. The review considers modem data on the molecular structure of nuclear receptors and the mechanisms of their interactions with ligands and transcription cofactors. The known functions of nuclear receptors in regulating embryo development and metamorphosis in D. melanogaster are described in detail.