Glucocorticoid Hormone

Glucocorticoid hormone predominately affects the metabolism of carbohydrates and to a lesser extent, fats and proteins, Glucocorticoid are made in the outside portion of the adrenal glands and it’s chemically classed as steroids.






Action of Glucocortocoid hormone




Glucocorticoid hormones are steroid hormones that influence nutrient metabolism, These hormones activate genes for proteins involved in process such as the synthesis of glucose, the breakdown of proteins, and the mobilization of fats.








Glucocorticoid hormones are secreted by endocrine glands into the blood stream. They enter cells through transporters in the plasma membrane, once inside the cytosol the hormone molecules can bind to glucocortocid receptors, which function as transcription factors that activate genes. The binding of the hormone causes proteins that were bound to the receptor such as the heat shock protein hsp90 to be released.


Release of HSP90allows two receptors to bind and form a dimer as well as exposing a nuclear localization signal on the receptor.The receptor dimer is then allowed to enter into the nucleus through a nuclear pore.

The receptor dimer is able to bind to a specific DNA sequence regions called glucocortocid response elements, or GREs,that are near target genes.The GREs function as enhancers, so that binding of a receptor dimer to a GRE activates transcription of the nearby target gene.