Receptor for retinoic acid. Retinoic acid receptors bind as heterodimers to their target response elements in response to their ligands, all-trans or 9-cis retinoic acid, and regulate gene expression in various biological processes. The rar/rxr heterodimers bind to the retinoic acid response elements (RARE) composed of tandem 5'-AGGTCA-3' sites known as DR1-DR5. The high affinity ligand for rxrs is 9-cis retinoic acid (By similarity). Homodimer (By similarity). Heterodimer; with a rar molecule (By similarity). Binds DNA preferentially as a rar/rxr heterodimer (By similarity). Heterodimerizes with rarga. Uniformly expressed from the blastula to mid-gastrula stages. In late gastrula stages, there is specific expression in the presumptive hindbrain and spinal cord. At 16 hours post-fertilization (hpf), expressed in the hindbrain from rhombomere 7/8 to the anterior spinal cord; this expression continues until 42 hpf. At 24 hpf, also expressed in the lateral plate mesoderm flanking rhombomere 6 and in the cranial neural crest, but not in the migrating crest. At 26 hpf, also expressed in retina. At 48 hpf, strong retinal expression. Expressed both maternally and zygotically. Composed of three domains: a modulating N-terminal domain, a DNA-binding domain and a C-terminal ligand-binding domain. Belongs to the nuclear hormone receptor family. NR2 subfamily.