Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is constitutively expressed in the cell's cytoplasm. Normally, heatshock proteins are bound to it, acting as chaperones (holding GR in a certain conformation.)
Glucocorticoid enters the cell and binds to the GR. The GR changes conformation and the heat shock proteins fall off.
The activated GR/glucocorticoid complex binds to another, forming a homodimer, and this complex enters the nucleus through a transport protein.
Click to view animations:
|