Protein / target

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma

PPARGP37231Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
12
Approved medicines
30
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Approved Drug

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Transcription cis-regulatory region binding

Primary system

Endocrine & metabolic

Strongest disease association

Abnormality of the skeletal system

Genetic evidence · score 0.94

Therapeutic maturity

Clinically validated target

12 approved medicines against this target

Druggability

Small molecule

Open Targets tractability · Approved Drug

Clinical development

12 approved · 28 in clinical development

30 linked trials

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function

Ligand-activated transcription factor that forms obligate heterodimers with the retinoic acid receptor and acts as a key regulator of biological processes, such as adipocyte differentiation, lipid metabolism, glucose homeostasis and beta-oxidation of fatty acids (PubMed:16150867, PubMed:20829347, PubMed:23525231, PubMed:8702406, PubMed:8706692, PubMed:9065481). Activated by lipid ligands: binds peroxisome proliferators, such as hypolipidemic drugs, and fatty acids, such as prostaglandin J2 metabolites (PubMed:16150867, PubMed:20829347, PubMed:23525231, PubMed:8702406, PubMed:8706692, PubMed:9065481). Ligand-binding results in a conformational change in the receptor, promoting dissociation of repressors and recruitment of coactivators, and subsequent activation of target gene expression (PubMed:16150867, PubMed:20829347, PubMed:23525231, PubMed:8702406, PubMed:8706692, PubMed:9065481). Specifically binds to DNA specific PPAR response elements (PPRE) and modulates the transcription of its target genes, such as acyl-CoA oxidase (By similarity). Acts as a critical regulator of gut homeostasis by suppressing NF-kappa-B-mediated pro-inflammatory responses (PubMed:20829347). Plays a role in the regulation of cardiovascular circadian rhythms by regulating the transcription of BMAL1 in the blood vessels (By similarity)

Subcellular location

NucleusCytoplasm
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (105)

Domains & features

NR LBD

Gene Ontology

  • Cchromatin
  • Ccytosol
  • Cnucleoplasm
  • Cnucleus
  • Creceptor complex
  • CRNA polymerase II transcription regulator complex
  • Falpha-actinin binding
  • Farachidonate binding
  • Fchromatin binding
  • FDNA binding
  • FDNA binding domain binding
  • FDNA-binding transcription activator activity, RNA polymerase II-specific

505 aa · 58 kDa · 3 isoforms

Biological roles

Reactome v97

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Transcriptional regulationUniProt · GO · ReactomeNuclear receptor signallingGO · ReactomeImmune signallingUniProt · GOMetabolic enzyme activityGOCell adhesionGOApoptosis & cell deathGO
View supporting evidence

Transcriptional regulation

  • ·Ligand-activated transcription factor that forms obligate heterodimers with the retinoic…
  • ·RNA polymerase II transcription regulator complex
  • ·DNA-binding transcription activator activity, RNA polymerase II-specific
  • ·DNA-binding transcription factor activity

Nuclear receptor signalling

  • ·DNA-binding transcription factor activity
  • ·DNA-binding transcription factor activity, RNA polymerase II-specific
  • ·nuclear receptor activity
  • ·Nuclear Receptor transcription pathway

Immune signalling

  • ·Ligand-activated transcription factor that forms obligate heterodimers with the retinoic…
  • ·beige fat cell differentiation
  • ·brown fat cell differentiation
  • ·fat cell differentiation

Metabolic enzyme activity

  • ·fatty acid metabolic process
  • ·positive regulation of fatty acid metabolic process
  • ·positive regulation of lipid metabolic process

Cell adhesion

  • ·negative regulation of extracellular matrix assembly

Apoptosis & cell death

  • ·positive regulation of vascular associated smooth muscle cell apoptotic process
View underlying pathways (8)

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Interaction neighbourhood

STRING v12.0

Proteins with the strongest functional or physical association. Node size and line weight reflect STRING confidence; hover or select a partner to inspect one association.

PPARGC…NCOR1NCOR2RXRAMED1NCOA1CREBBPNCOA2RELASIRT1PPARG

10 strongest partners — larger node and heavier line mean higher confidence

Functional and physical associations from STRING v12.0. Only associations with this protein are drawn — partner-to-partner links are not part of this evidence.

Drugs targeting this protein

1

Whether each drug engages this protein directly or through a complex, and how many other targets are recorded for it. Direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

rosiglitazone
Narrow target profileApprovedAgonist

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonist

Appears in clinical studies involving diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer disease

Direct interaction with this protein · Only this protein recorded as a target

ChEMBL mechanism, action type and target identity. Open Targets clinical status and indications.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically — disease associations, drugs in development, tractability and safety, from Open Targets.

Strongest genetic associations

Human genetic evidence — the most direct causal link between this target and a disease.

Abnormality of the skeletal system0.94

Genetic · overall 0.57

type 2 diabetes mellitus0.92

Genetic literature · overall 0.86

PPARG-related familial partial lipodystrophy0.86

Genetic literature · overall 0.81

diabetes mellitus0.80

Genetic · overall 0.74

morbid obesity0.76

Genetic literature · overall 0.61

Highest-confidence therapeutic associations

Diseases where a drug acting on this target has already reached clinical development.

ulcerative colitis0.99

Clinical · overall 0.62

metabolic syndrome0.60

Clinical · overall 0.51

coronary artery disorder0.55

Clinical · overall 0.55

obesity disorder0.14

Clinical · overall 0.52

Highest overall evidence

Remaining associations by Open Targets' aggregated evidence score.

colon carcinoma0.52

Somatic mutation

Show all associations
type 2 diabetes mellitus0.86
PPARG-related familial partial lipodystrophy0.81
diabetes mellitus0.74
ulcerative colitis0.62
morbid obesity0.61
Abnormality of the skeletal system0.57
coronary artery disorder0.55
colon carcinoma0.52
obesity disorder0.52
metabolic syndrome0.51

Open Targets ranks 1,867 associations for this target and we store the top 10 by aggregated score. The long tail is largely literature co-mention and RNA-expression evidence, not evidence that this target drives those diseases.

Known drugs · 40 total

MK-0767Phase 3

type 2 diabetes mellitus · type 2 diabetes mellitus · Hyperglycemia

DB959Phase 2 3

Alzheimer disease · Alzheimer disease

MK-0533Phase 2

type 2 diabetes mellitus

LERIGLITAZONEPhase 3

X-linked cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy · adrenomyeloneuropathy · Friedreich ataxia

INDEGLITAZARPhase 2

type 2 diabetes mellitus · type 2 diabetes mellitus

ETALOCIBPhase 2

malignant pancreatic neoplasm · exocrine pancreatic carcinoma · non-small cell lung carcinoma

ATX08-001Phase 2

type 2 diabetes mellitus · type 2 diabetes mellitus · postherpetic neuralgia

LANIFIBRANORPhase 3

Hepatic fibrosis · metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis · systemic sclerosis

FARGLITAZARPhase 3

type 1 diabetes mellitus · Hepatic fibrosis

BALSALAZIDE DISODIUMApproval

ulcerative colitis · inflammatory bowel disease

Tractability

SM · Approved DrugSM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · High-Quality PocketSM · Druggable FamilyPR · UniProt UbiquitinationPR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Small Molecule Binder

Safety liabilities

increased inflammationIncreased, Liver Steatosisincreased heart weightreceptor bindingheart failureregulation of transcription factor activityobesityaspirin hypersensitivityincreased plasma volumeprotein stabilizationdecreased inflammationincreased body weight

Clinical trials

30

Trials of drugs that target this protein — reached indirectly through those drugs, so a trial listed here studies the drug, not the protein.

Show remaining trials (24)

COMPLETED · via rosiglitazone · NCT00306176

COMPLETED · via rosiglitazone · NCT00006493

TERMINATED · via rosiglitazone · NCT00819910

UNKNOWN · via rosiglitazone · NCT00242593

COMPLETED · via rosiglitazone · NCT00140647

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

Related literature

4

Papers indexed under “PPAR gamma” — a subject heading that covers this protein without being specific to it. Shown as context; not counted as this protein's own research activity.

Modulation of Insulin Resistance in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Khan RS · Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) · 2019

The effect of palmitic acid on inflammatory response in macrophages: an overview of molecular mechanisms.

Korbecki J · Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2019

Systemic manifestations and comorbidities of COPD.

Barnes PJ · The European respiratory journal · 2009

Europe PMC literature, reached through a MeSH descriptor linked to this protein.

Forefront confidence

Synthesis

Our own weighting of the evidence behind each disease association. Human genetics and clinical evidence count for most; literature co-mention counts for little, because two entities sharing an abstract is not evidence that one drives the other.

type 2 diabetes mellitusWell supported
0.98
agreement 0.881.00
Genetic44%Clinical37%Animal model12%Literature7%Genetic literaturedup

Open Targets aggregate 0.86 · 4 independent evidence families · 1 not counted as duplicate

diabetes mellitusWell supported
0.96
agreement 0.861.00
Genetic43%Clinical38%Animal model13%Literature7%

Open Targets aggregate 0.74 · 4 independent evidence families

Abnormality of the skeletal systemWell supported
0.94
agreement 0.821.00
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.57 · 1 independent evidence family

PPARG-related familial partial lipodystrophyWell supported
0.89
agreement 0.771.00
Genetic76%Animal model22%Literature3%Genetic literaturedup

Open Targets aggregate 0.81 · 3 independent evidence families · 1 not counted as duplicate

coronary artery disorderWell supported
0.89
agreement 0.790.99
Genetic53%Clinical29%Literature10%Animal model9%

Open Targets aggregate 0.55 · 4 independent evidence families

The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the underlying per-type scores are shown above so the calculation can be checked.

What's happening now

7

Recent activity around this target, drawn from one canonical event stream. Every item is reached through a drug that targets this protein, so each event is news about that drug rather than about the protein directly.

  1. New publication2023-10-26
    Risk of Pancreatitis With Incretin Therapies Versus Thiazolidinediones in the Veterans Health Administration.

    The Annals of pharmacotherapy · 2024 · 8 citations · Europe PMC · via rosiglitazone

  2. Safety communication2014-12-11

    Drug Safety Update: Rosiglitazone: recommended withdrawal from clinical use

    mhra · safety · mhra · via rosiglitazone

  3. New publication2013-04-12
    Recombinant human growth hormone and rosiglitazone for abdominal fat accumulation in HIV-infected patients with insulin resistance: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, factorial trial.

    PloS one · 2013 · 10 citations · Europe PMC · via rosiglitazone

  4. New publication2011-02-16
    Drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol versus rosiglitazone treatment in overweight adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome: comparison of metabolic, hormonal, and cardiovascular risk factors.

    The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2011 · 32 citations · Europe PMC · via rosiglitazone

  5. New publication2010-07-02
    Randomized comparison of the effects of rosiglitazone vs. placebo on peak integrated cardiovascular performance, cardiac structure, and function.

    European heart journal · 2010 · 22 citations · Europe PMC · via rosiglitazone

  6. New publication2007-12-07
    Rosiglitazone for active ulcerative colitis: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

    Gastroenterology · 2008 · 184 citations · Europe PMC · via rosiglitazone

  7. New publication2003-12-01
    Chronic inflammation in fat plays a crucial role in the development of obesity-related insulin resistance.

    The Journal of clinical investigation · 2003 · 4,951 citations · Europe PMC · via rosiglitazone

Objective event titles are shown unmodified; the event kind and significance line are derived from structured fields. Forefront AttentionEvent stream aggregating Europe PMC Regulatory filings ClinicalTrials.gov.