How many nuclear hormone receptors are there in the human genome?

The sequence of the human genome now allows the definition of the complete set of genes for specific protein families in humans. Because of their invo lvement in many physiological and pathological processes, the nuclear hormo ne receptors are a superfamily of crucial medical significance. Although 48 human nuclear receptor genes were identified previously, their total numbe r is unclear from early human genome reports. Here, we report the identific ation and classification of all nuclear receptor genes in the human genome, and we discuss corresponding transcriptome and proteome diversity.