The erbA/thyroid hormone receptor genes in development of the central nervous system

It has long been established that thyroid hormones are essential for correct development and differentiation in the central nervous system (CNS). More recent identification of a family of receptors for thyroid hormone as the products of cellular erbA genes has provided the opportunity to understand the mechanisms by which the hormone elicits its complex responses in the CNS. These receptors belong to the family of nuclear hormone receptors and act as ligand-responsive transcription factors. This suggests models of developmental control in the CNS in which thyroid hormone receptors convert the extracellular hormonal signal into specific cellular responses by regulation of transcription of networks of target genes.