Innate immune system regulation of nuclear hormone receptors in metabolic diseases

Abstract: The immune system modulates a num-ber of biological processes to properly defend against pathogens. Here, we review how crosstalk between nuclear hormone receptors and the innate immune system may influence multiple biological functions during an immune response. Although nuclear hormone receptor repression of innate im-mune responses and inflammation has been well studied, a number of new studies have identified repression of nuclear hormone receptor signaling by various innate immune responses. IFN regula-tory factor 3, a key transcription factor involved in the induction of antiviral genes, may play a role in mediating such crosstalk between the innate im-mune response and nuclear receptor-regulated metabolism. This crosstalk mechanism is now im-plicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and Reye’s syndrome and could provide an expla-nation for other pathogen-associated metaboli