Role of PPAR-γ in health and disease

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand activated transcription factors that modulate target gene expression in response to endogenous and exogenous ligands. The PPARs, a family of nuclear receptors (NRs), are a set of three receptor sub-types encoded by distinct genes. The discovery of PPAR-specific ligands has led to a significant advancement in our understanding of the structure of these receptor proteins and molecular mechanisms of their ligand dependent activation. The nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ is a crucial cellular and metabolic switch that regulates many physiologic and disease processes.