This gene represents a nuclear retinoic acid receptor. The encoded protein, retinoic acid receptor alpha, regulates transcription in a ligand-dependent manner. This gene has been implicated in regulation of development, differentiation, apoptosis, granulopoeisis, and transcription of clock genes. The human RARα gene maps to chromosome 17 and is implicated in the chromosomal translocation associated
with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL-M3). Specifically, the RARα gene is fused with the promyelocytic leukemia (PML) gene, which encodes the fusion protein PML/RARα.
