Estrogen Related Receptor Alpha (ERRa)

ERRα has wide tissue distribution but it is most highly expressed in tissue that preferentially use fatty acids as energy sources such as kidney, heart, cerebellum, intestine, and skeletal muscle. The protein encoded by this gene is a nuclear receptor that is closely related to the estrogen receptor. This protein acts as a site-specific transcription regulator and has been also shown to interact with estrogen and the transcription factor TFIIB by direct protein-protein contact. The binding and regulatory activities of this protein have been demonstrated in the regulation of a variety of genes including lactoferrin, osteopontin, medium-chain acyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase (MCAD) and thyroid hormone receptor genes. A processed pseudogene of ESRRA is located on chromosome 13q12.1.