Evan T. Keller, William B. Ershler, and Chawnshang Chang

The Institute on Aging and the Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.

Received 01/16/96; Accepted 02/22/96; On-line 03/01/96

Two important androgens, testosterone (T) and its metabolite dihydrotestosterone (DHT), affect a diversity of responses in a variety of tissues. They mediate their effects through a ligand-dependent nuclear transcription factor, the androgen receptor (AR). Cloning of the AR cDNA (1-4) has allowed for cellular and molecular characterization of many different aspects of androgen physiology and pathophysiology. However, in spite of the intensity of research activity in this area, many interesting questions remain regarding the basic functions of androgen and AR on gene regulation. In this review, we will provide a brief overview of the AR and its regulation and then explore several intriguing aspects of the cellular and molecular biology of androgens and their receptor.