Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 (HNF-4), found in liver, kidney, and intes
tine, is a potent transcriptional activator that controls the expressi
on of a wide variety of genes, including those involved in fatty acid
and cholesterol metabolism, glucose metabolism, urea biosynthesis, blo
od coagulation, hepatitis B infections, and liver differentiation. HNF
-4 is also a member of the steroid hormone receptor superfamily and ha
s been highly conserved throughout evolution, suggesting that it might
respond to an as yet unidentified ligand. In this presentation, some
of the current findings regarding the role of HNF-4 in Liver-specific
gene expression are reviewed.