Nurr1 is also expressed in non-neuronal cell types and Nurr1 mRNA is induced by inflammatory stimuli, including LPS, in macrophages (Barish et al., 2005; Pei et al., 2005). Intriguingly, recent observations suggest that members of the NR4 family can function as both activators and repressors of cell type-specific inflammatory responses. For instance, Nurr1 suppresses expression of inflammatory response genes in human macrophages that are implicated in the development of arthrosclerosis (Bonta et al., 2006). In contrast, Nurr1 promotes the development of mouse and human Th17 T cells that contribute to the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (Doi et al., 2008). However, the molecular mechanisms by which Nurr1 controls transcriptional activation or repression of inflammatory responses have not been established, and the potential impact of Nurr1 function on the inflammatory component of PD has not been evaluated.
