Coregulator Codes of Transcriptional Regulation by Nuclear Receptors

The androgen receptor undergoes an androgen-specific NH(2)- and COOH-terminal interaction between NH(2)-terminal motif FXXLF and activation function 2 in the ligand binding domain. We demonstrated previously that activation function 2 forms overlapping binding sites for the androgen receptor FXXLF motif and the LXXLL motifs of p160 coactivators. Here we investigate the influence of the NH(2)- and COOH-terminal interaction on androgen receptor function. Specificity and relative potency of the motif interactions were evaluated by ligand dissociation rate and the stability of chimeras of transcriptional intermediary factor 2 with full-length and truncated androgen or glucocorticoid receptor. The results indicate that the androgen receptor activation function 2 interacts specifically and with greater avidity with the single FXXLF motif than with the LXXLL motif region of p160 coactivators, whereas this region of the glucocorticoid receptor interacts preferentially with the LXXLL motifs. Expression of the LXXLL motifs as a fusion protein with the glucocorticoid receptor resulted in loss of agonist-induced receptor destabilization and increased half-time of ligand dissociation. The NH(2)- and COOH-terminal interaction inhibited binding and activation by transcriptional intermediary factor 2. We conclude that the androgen receptor NH(2)- and COOH-terminal interaction reduces the dissociation rate of bound androgen, stabilizes the receptor, and inhibits p160 coactivator recruitment by activation function 2.

PIMT (PRIP-interacting protein with methyltransferase domain), an RNA-binding protein with a methyltransferase domain capable of binding S-adenosylmethionine, has been shown previously to interact with nuclear receptor coactivator PRIP (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-interacting protein) and enhance its coactivator function. We now report that PIMT strongly interacts with transcriptional coactivators, CBP, p300, and PBP but not with SRC-1 and PGC-1alpha under in vitro and in vivo conditions. The PIMT binding sites on CBP and p300 are located in the cysteine-histidine-rich C/H1 and C/H3 domains, and the PIMT binding site on PBP is in the region encompassing amino acids 1101-1560. The N-terminal of PIMT (residues 1-369) containing the RNA binding domain interacts with both C/H1 and C/H3 domains of CBP and p300 and with the C-terminal portion of PBP that encompasses amino acids 1371-1560. The C-terminal of PIMT (residues 611-852), which binds S-adenosyl-l-methionine, interacts respectively with the C/H3 domain of CBP/p300 and with a region encompassing amino acids 1101-1370 of PBP. Immunoprecipitation data showed that PIMT forms a complex in vivo with CBP, p300, PBP, and PRIP. PIMT appeared to be co-localized in the nucleus with CBP, p300, and PBP. PIMT enhanced PBP-mediated transcriptional activity of the PPARgamma, as it did for PRIP, indicating synergism between PIMT and PBP. In contrast, PIMT functioned as a repressor of CBP/p300-mediated transactivation of PPARgamma. Based on these observations, we suggest that PIMT bridges the CBP/p300-anchored coactivator complex with the PBP-anchored coactivator complex but differentially modulates coactivator function such that inhibition of the CBP/p300 effect may be designed to enhance the activity of PBP and PRIP.

We have recently identified the hADA3 protein, the human homologue of yeast transcriptional coactivator yADA3, as a novel HPV16 E6 target. Using ectopic expression approaches, we further demonstrated that hADA3 directly binds to the 9-cis retinoic acid receptors alpha and beta, and functions as a coactivator for retinoid receptor-mediated transcriptional activation. Here, we examined the role of endogenous hADA3 as a coactivator for estrogen receptor (ER), an important member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. We show that ADA3 directly interacts with ER alpha and ER beta. Using the chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, we also show that hADA3 is a component of the activator complexes bound to the native ER response element within the promoter of the estrogen-responsive gene pS2. Furthermore, using an ER response element-luciferase reporter, we show that overexpression of ADA3 enhances the ER alpha- and ER beta-mediated sequence-specific transactivation. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis showed an ADA3-mediated increase in estrogen-induced expression of the endogenous pS2 gene. More importantly, using RNA interference against hADA3, we demonstrate that inhibition of endogenous hADA3 inhibited ER-mediated transactivation and the estrogen-induced increase in the expression of pS2, cathepsin D, and progesterone receptor, three widely known ER-responsive genes. The HPV E6 protein, by targeting hADA3 for degradation, inhibited the ER alpha-mediated transactivation and the protein expression of ER target genes. Thus, our results demonstrate that ADA3 directly binds to human estrogen receptor and enhances the transcription of ER-responsive genes, suggesting a broader role of mammalian hADA3 as a coactivator of nuclear hormone receptors and the potential role of these pathways in HPV oncogenesis.

In most mammalian cells, the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) is nuclear rather than cytoplasmic, regardless of its cognate ligand, retinoic acid (RA). In testis Sertoli cells, however, RAR is retained in the cytoplasm and moves to the nucleus only when RA is supplied. This led us to identify a protein that regulates the translocation of RAR. From yeast two-hybrid screening, we identified a novel RAR-interacting protein called CART1 (cytoplasmic adaptor for RAR and TR). Systematic interaction assays using deletion mutants showed that the C-terminal CoRNR box of CART1 was responsible for the interaction with the NCoR binding region of RAR and TR. Such interaction was impaired in the presence of ligand RA, as further determined by GST pulldown assays in vitro and immunoprecipitation assays in vivo. Fluorescence microscopy showed that unliganded RAR was captured by CART1 in the cytoplasm, whereas liganded RAR was liberated and moved to the nucleus. Overexpression of CART1 blocked the transcriptional repressing activity of unliganded apoRAR, mediated by corepressor NCoR in the nucleus. CART1 siRNA treatment in a mouse Sertoli cell line, TM4, allowed RAR to move to the nucleus and blocked the derepressing function of CART1, suggesting that CART1 might be a cytoplasmic, testis-specific derepressor of RAR.

Thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) mediate hormone action by binding to DNA response elements (TREs) and either activating or repressing gene expression in the presence of ligand, T(3). Coactivator recruitment to the AF-2 region of TR in the presence of T(3) is central to this process. The different TR isoforms, TR-beta1, TR-beta2, and TR-alpha1, share strong homology in their DNA- and ligand-binding domains but differ in their amino-terminal domains. Because TR-beta2 exhibits greater T(3)-independent activation on TREs than other TR isoforms, we wanted to determine whether coactivators bound to TR-beta2 in the absence of ligand. Our results show that TR-beta2, unlike TR-beta1 or TR-alpha1, is able to bind certain coactivators (CBP, SRC-1, and pCIP) in the absence of T(3) through a domain which maps to the amino-terminal half of its A/B domain. This interaction is specific for certain coactivators, as TR-beta2 does not interact with other co-factors (p120 or the CBP-associated factor (pCAF)) in the absence of T(3). The minimal TR-beta2 domain for coactivator binding is aa 21-50, although aa 1-50 are required for the full functional response. Thus, isoform-specific regulation by TRs may involve T(3)-independent coactivator recruitment to the transcription complex via the AF-1 domain.

Many eukaryotic transcription factors are bimodal in their regulatory properties and can both repress and activate expression of their target genes. These divergent transcriptional properties are conferred through recruitment of auxiliary proteins, denoted coactivators and corepressors. Repression plays a particularly critical role in the functions of the nuclear receptors, a large family of ligand-regulated transcription factors involved in metazoan development, differentiation, reproduction, and homeostasis. The SMRT corepressor interacts directly with nuclear receptors and serves, in turn, as a platform for the assembly of a larger corepressor complex. We report here that SMRT is expressed in cells by alternative mRNA splicing to yield two distinct variants or isoforms. We designate these isoforms SMRTalpha and SMRTtau and demonstrate that these isoforms have significantly different affinities for different nuclear receptors. These isoforms are evolutionarily conserved and are expressed in a tissue-specific manner. Our results suggest that differential mRNA splicing serves to customize corepressor function in different cells, allowing the transcriptional properties of nuclear receptors to be adapted to different contexts.

Kruppel-associated box (KRAB) domain-containing proteins consist of potential transcriptional repression modules. Previously, gonadotropin-inducible ovarian transcription factor-1 (GIOT-1) was identified as a novel KRAB-containing zinc finger protein and shown to have transcriptional repression activity. Here, we demonstrate that orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 regulates GIOT-1 gene expression in testicular Leydig cell lines and that GIOT-1 acts as a novel corepressor of the orphan nuclear receptor steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1). Mutation analysis of the GIOT-1 promoter and overexpression analysis of dominant-negative Nur77 revealed that luteinizing hormone activates GIOT-1 gene expression through Nur77. Electrophoretic mobility shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that Nur77 directly binds to the GIOT-1 promoter. GIOT-1 represses the SF-1 transactivation, and specific interaction between GIOT-1 and SF-1 was observed. We also demonstrate an interaction between GIOT-1 and histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2). GIOT-1-mediated transrepression was recovered by down-regulation of HDAC2 expression with small interfering RNA of HDAC2. Knock down of the endogenous GIOT-1 results in significant enhancement of CYP17 expression in Leydig cells. In conclusion, this study of cross-talk between GIOT-1 and orphan nuclear receptors will provide new insights into the role of KRAB-containing zinc finger proteins in nuclear receptor action.

The aberrant association of promyelocytic leukemia protein-retinoic acid receptor-alpha (PML-RARalpha) with corepressor complexes is generally thought to contribute to the ability of PML-RARalpha to regulate transcription. We report here that PML-RARalpha acquires aberrant association with coactivators. We show that endogenous PML-RARalpha interacts with the histone acetyltransferases CBP, p300, and SRC-1 in a hormoneindependent manner, an association not seen for RARalpha. This hormone-independent coactivator binding activity requires an intact ligand-binding domain and the NR box of the coactivators. Confocal microscopy studies demonstrate that exogenous PML-RARalpha sequesters and colocalizes with coactivators. These observations correlate with the ability of PML-RARalpha to attenuate the transcription activation of the Notch signaling downstream effector, CBF1, and of the glucocorticoid receptor. This includes attenuation of the glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ) and FLJ25390 target genes of the endogenous glucocorticoid receptor. Furthermore, treatment of NB4 cells with all-trans-retinoic acid, which promotes PML-RARalpha degradation, resulted in increased activation of GILZ. On the basis of these findings, we propose a model in which the hormone-independent association between PML-RARalpha and coactivators contributes to its ability to regulate gene expression.

Lipid homeostasis is controlled by various nuclear receptors (NRs), including the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARalpha, delta, and gamma), which sense lipid levels and regulate their metabolism. Here we demonstrate that human PPARs have a high basal activity and show ligand-independent coactivator (CoA) association comparable with the NR constitutive androstane receptor. Using PPARgamma as an example, we found that four different amino acid groups contribute to the ligand-independent stabilization of helix 12 of the PPAR ligand-binding domain. These are: (i) Lys329 and Glu499, mediating a charge clamp-type stabilization of helix 12 via a CoA bridge; (ii) Glu352, Arg425, and Tyr505, directly stabilizing the helix via salt bridges and hydrogen bonds; (iii) Lys347 and Asp503, interacting with each other as well as contacting the CoA; and (iv) His351, Tyr(355), His477, and Tyr501, forming a hydrogen bond network. These amino acids are highly conserved within the PPAR subfamily, suggesting that the same mechanism may apply for all three PPARs. Phylogenetic trees of helix 12 amino acid and nucleotide sequences of all crystallized NRs and all human NRs, respectively, indicated a close relationship of PPARs with constitutive androstane receptor and other constitutive active members of the NR superfamily. Taking together, the ligand-independent tight control of the position of the PPAR helix 12 provides an effective alternative for establishing an interaction with CoA proteins. This leads to high basal activity of PPARs and provides an additional view on PPAR signaling.

Orphan nuclear receptors share sequence homology with members of the nuclear receptor superfamily, but ligands are unknown or unnecessary. A novel orphan receptor, estrogen receptor-related protein 3 (ERR3), was identified by yeast two-hybrid screening, using the transcriptional coactivator glucocorticoid receptor interacting protein 1 (GRIP1) as bait. The putative full-length mouse ERR3 contains 458 amino acids and is closely related to two known orphan receptors ERR1 and ERR2. All the ERR family members share an almost identical DNA-binding domain, which has 68% amino acid identity with that of estrogen receptor. ERR3 bound specifically to an estrogen response element and activated reporter genes controlled by estrogen response elements, both in yeast and in mammalian cells, in the absence of any added ligand. A conserved AF-2 activation domain located in the hormone-binding domain of ERR3 was primarily responsible for transcriptional activation. The ERR3 AF-2 domain bound GRIP1 in a ligand-independent manner both in vitro and in vivo, through the LXXLL motifs of GRIP1, and GRIP1 functioned as a transcriptional coactivator for ERR3 in both yeast and mammalian cells. Expression of ERR3 in adult mouse was restricted; highest expression was observed in heart, kidney, and brain. In the mouse embryo no expression was observed at day 7, and highest expression occurred around the 11-15 day stages. Although ERR3 is much more closely related to ERR2 than to ERR1, the expression pattern for ERR3 was similar to that of ERR1 and distinct from that for ERR2, suggesting a unique role for ERR3 in development.

CBP, cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB)-binding protein, plays an important role as a general cointegrator of various signaling pathways and interacts with a large number of transcription factors. Interactions of CBP with ligand binding domains (LBDs) of nuclear receptors are mediated by LXXLL motifs, as are those of p160 proteins, although the number, distribution, and precise sequences of the motifs differ. We used a large N-terminal fragment of murine CBP to map by biochemical methods and NMR spectroscopy the interaction domain of CBP with the LBDs of several nuclear receptors. We show that distinct zones of that fragment are involved in the interactions: a 20-residue segment containing the LXXLL motif (residues 61-80) is implicated in the interaction with all three domains tested (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-LBD, retinoid X receptor alpha-LBD, and estrogen-related receptor gamma-LBD), whereas a second N-terminal well conserved block of around 25 residues centered on a consensus L(40)PDEL(44) motif constitutes a secondary motif of interaction with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-LBD. Sequence analysis reveals that both zones are well conserved in all vertebrate p300/CBP proteins, suggesting their functional importance. Interactions of p300/CBP coactivators with the LBDs of nuclear receptors are not limited to the canonical LXXLL motifs, involving both a longer contiguous segment around the motif and, for certain domains, an additional zone.

Biochemical and genetic findings accumulated over the past decade have established that the condensation of eukaryotic DNA in chromatin functions not only to constrain the genome within the boundaries of the cell nucleus but also to suppress gene activity in a general manner. This genetic repression extends from the level of the nucleosome, the primary unit of chromatin organization, where coiling of DNA on the surface of the nucleosome core particle impedes access to the transcriptional apparatus, to the higher order folding of nucleosome arrays and the organization of silent regions of chromatin (for reviews see Refs. 1van Holde K. Zlatanova J. Arents G. Moudrianakis E. Elgin S.C.R. Chromatin Structure and Gene Expression. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK1995: 1-26Google Scholar, 2Ramakrishnan V. Annu. Rev. Biophys. Biomol. Struct. 1997; 26: 83-112Crossref PubMed Scopus (132) Google Scholar, 3Pruss D. Hayes J.J. Wolffe A.P. 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Genes Dev. 1996; 10: 1247-1259Crossref PubMed Google Scholar).Tetrahymena Histone Acetyltransferase A and Yeast Gcn5In a convergence of biochemical and genetic studies, cloning of the p55 catalytic subunit of Tetrahymena nuclear (A-type) histone acetyltransferase (HAT) 1The abbreviations used are: HAT, histone acetyltransferase; P/CAF, p300/CBP-associated factor; CBP, CREB-binding protein; CREB, cyclic AMP response element binding protein; SAS, something about silencing; MOZ, monocytic leukemia zinc finger; MOF, males absent on the first; TAF, TBP-associated factor; TBP, TATA-binding protein; HDAC, histone deacetylase. revealed substantial sequence identity with yeast Gcn5, previously defined genetically as a transcriptional coactivator (22Brownell J.E. Zhou J. Ranalli T. Kobayashi R. Edmondson D.G. Roth S.Y. Allis C.D. Cell. 1996; 84: 843-851Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1210) Google Scholar). 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Guarente L. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 1994; 91: 11665-11668Crossref PubMed Scopus (96) Google Scholar,31Barlev N.A. Candau R. Wang L. Darpino P. Silverman N. Berger S.L. J. Biol. Chem. 1995; 270: 19337-19344Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (157) Google Scholar).P/CAF, p300/CBP, SAS, MOZ, and MOFAn increasing number of putative or demonstrated histone acetyltransferases have emerged in the past year. P/CAF (p300/CBP-associated factor) is a novel histone acetyltransferase isolated on the basis of sequence similarity to human and yeast Gcn5 (32Yang X.-J. Ogryzko V.V. Nishizawa J. Howard B.H. Nakayani Y. Nature. 1996; 382: 319-324Crossref PubMed Scopus (1283) Google Scholar), which interacts with the highly related transcriptional coactivators p300/CBP. Like Gcn5, recombinant P/CAF has intrinsic HAT activity for free histones H3 and H4, but unlike Gcn5, P/CAF is also able to acetylate nucleosomal histone H3. p300/CBP (CREB-binding protein) is itself a histone acetyltransferase with no resemblance in sequence to the other acetyltransferases (33Ogryzko V. Schiltz R.L. Russanova V. Howard B.H. Nakatani Y. Cell. 1996; 87: 953-959Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2274) Google Scholar, 106Bannister A.J. Kouzarides T. Nature. 1996; 384: 641-643Crossref PubMed Scopus (1480) Google Scholar). The bacterially expressed p300/CBP protein is unique among HAT polypeptides in that it can acetylate all four core histones free in solution or when complexed in the nucleosome; acetylation on histone H4 occurs at lysines 5, 8, 12, and 16, the same positions that are subject to acetylation in vivo (32Yang X.-J. Ogryzko V.V. Nishizawa J. Howard B.H. Nakayani Y. Nature. 1996; 382: 319-324Crossref PubMed Scopus (1283) Google Scholar). p300 and CBP are known to physically interact with numerous transcription factors activated by signaling cascades, including CREB, c-Jun/v-Jun, Fos, and nuclear hormone receptors, and are also targets for the E1A oncoprotein (for a review see Ref. 34Janknecht R. Hunter T. Nature. 1996; 383: 22-23Crossref PubMed Scopus (337) Google Scholar). Whether histones are substrates of p300 in vivo remains to be determined.The yeast SAS, human MOZ and Tip60, and fly MOF proteins constitute a different class of putative acetyltransferases, characterized by a ∼300-amino acid region of significant similarity that contains a C2CH zinc finger motif and a subregion similar to HATs and other acetyltransferases (35Reifsnyder C. Lowell J. Clarke A. Pillus L. Nat. Genet. 1996; 14: 42-49Crossref PubMed Scopus (234) Google Scholar, 36Borrow J. Stanton Jr., V.P. Andresen J.M. Becher R. Behm F.G. Chaganti R.S.K. Civin C.I. Disteche C. 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Frischauf A.M. Horsman D. Mitelman F. Volinia S. Watmore A.E. Housman D.E. Nat. Genet. 1996; 14: 33-41Crossref PubMed Scopus (609) Google Scholar).TAF250TFIID, the general transcription factor complex of TBP (TATA-binding protein) and the associated TAF proteins, has been found to contain a HAT activity. Unique among the various TAFs, TAFII250 alone or in the TFIID complex has both a serine kinase activity selective for RAP74 (a subunit of TFIIF) and a HAT activity (39Dikstein R. Ruppert S. Tjian R. Cell. 1996; 84: 781-790Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (166) Google Scholar, 40Mizzen C.A. Yang X.-J. Kokubo T. Brownell J.E. Bannister A.J. Owen-Hughes T. Workman J.L. Berger S.L. Kouzarides T. Nakatani Y. Aliis C.D. Cell. 1996; 87: 1261-1270Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (607) Google Scholar). Like Gcn5, TAFII250 preferentially acetylates free histone H3 over H4 and has little or no activity on nucleosomal histones (40Mizzen C.A. Yang X.-J. Kokubo T. Brownell J.E. Bannister A.J. Owen-Hughes T. Workman J.L. Berger S.L. Kouzarides T. Nakatani Y. Aliis C.D. Cell. 1996; 87: 1261-1270Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (607) Google Scholar). The domain of TAFII250 responsible for HAT activity maps to the central, conserved region and shows no obvious sequence similarity to other HATs. The finding of HAT activity in TAFII250 implies that TFIID could contribute toward destabilizing nucleosomes over core promoter elements, although the physiological substrates of the HAT activity remain to be determined. TFIID may possess yet an another capacity for assisting nucleosome disorder. Portions of several TAFs (DrosophilaTAFII42 and TAFII62) adopt a histone octamer-like substructure that might be employed as a histone octamer-like substructure, which could serve as a competitor for DNA binding with the core histones (41Hoffman A. Chiang C.-M. Oelgeschlager T. Xie X. Burley S.K. Nakatani Y. Roeder R. 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This genetic repression extends from the level of the nucleosome, the primary unit of chromatin organization, where coiling of DNA on the surface of the nucleosome core particle impedes access to the transcriptional apparatus, to the higher order folding of nucleosome arrays and the organization of silent regions of chromatin (for reviews see Refs. 1van Holde K. Zlatanova J. Arents G. Moudrianakis E. Elgin S.C.R. Chromatin Structure and Gene Expression. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK1995: 1-26Google Scholar, 2Ramakrishnan V. Annu. Rev. Biophys. Biomol. Struct. 1997; 26: 83-112Crossref PubMed Scopus (132) Google Scholar, 3Pruss D. Hayes J.J. Wolffe A.P. Bioessays. 1995; 17: 161-170Crossref PubMed Google Scholar, 4Grunstein M. Annu. Rev. Cell Biol. 1990; 6: 643-678Crossref PubMed Google Scholar, 5Kornberg R.D. Lorch Y. Annu. Rev. Cell Biol. 1992; 8: 563-589Crossref PubMed Google Scholar, 6Fletcher T.M. Hansen J.C. Crit. Rev. 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The functional interaction between the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) and its coactivator PGC-1alpha is crucial for the normal physiology of PPARgamma and its pharmacological response to antidiabetic treatment with rosiglitazone. Here we report the crystal structure of the PPARgamma ligand-binding domain bound to rosiglitazone and to a large PGC-1alpha fragment that contains two LXXLL-related motifs. The structure reveals critical contacts mediated through the first LXXLL motif of PGC-1alpha and the PPARgamma coactivator binding site. Through a combination of biochemical and structural studies, we demonstrate that the first LXXLL motif is the most potent among all nuclear receptor coactivator motifs tested, and only this motif of the two LXXLL-related motifs in PGC-1alpha is capable of binding to PPARgamma. Our studies reveal that the strong interaction of PGC-1alpha and PPARgamma is mediated through both hydrophobic and specific polar interactions. Mutations within the context of the full-length PGC-1alpha indicate that the first PGC-1alpha motif is necessary and sufficient for PGC-1alpha to coactivate PPARgamma in the presence or absence of rosiglitazone. These results provide a molecular basis for specific recruitment and functional interplay between PPARgamma and PGC-1alpha in glucose homeostasis and adipocyte differentiation.

Thyroid hormone (3,5,3'-triiodo-L-thyronine, T3) is an endocrine hormone that exerts homeostatic regulation of basal metabolic rate, heart rate and contractility, fat deposition, and other phenomena (1, 2). T3 binds to the thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) and controls their regulation of transcription of target genes. The binding of TRs to thyroid hormone induces a conformational change in TRs that regulates the composition of the transcriptional regulatory complex. Recruitment of the correct coregulators (CoR) is important for successful gene regulation. In principle, inhibition of the TR-CoR interaction can have a direct influence on gene transcription in the presence of thyroid hormones. Herein we report a high throughput screen for small molecules capable of inhibiting TR coactivator interactions. One class of inhibitors identified in this screen was aromatic beta-aminoketones, which exhibited IC50 values of approximately 2 microm. These compounds can undergo a deamination, generating unsaturated ketones capable of reacting with nucleophilic amino acids. Several experiments confirm the hypothesis that these inhibitors are covalently bound to TR. Optimization of these compounds produced leads that inhibited the TR-CoR interaction in vitro with potency of approximately 0.6 microm and thyroid signaling in cellular systems. These are the first small molecules irreversibly inhibiting the coactivator binding of a nuclear receptor and suppressing its transcriptional activity.

Binding of full-length P160 coactivators to hormone response element-steroid receptor complexes has been difficult to investigate in vitro. Here, we report a new application of our recently described fluorescence anisotropy microplate assay to investigate binding and dissociation of full-length steroid receptor coactivator-1a (SRC1a) from full-length estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) or estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) bound to a fluorescein-labeled (fl) estrogen response element (ERE). SRC1a exhibited slightly higher affinity binding to flERE.ERbeta than to flERE.ERalpha. Binding of SRC1a to flERE.ERalpha and to flERE.ERbeta was 17beta-estradiol (E2)-dependent and was nearly absent when ICI 182,780, raloxifene, or 4-hydroxytamoxifen were bound to the ERs. SRC1a binds to flERE.E2-ERalpha and flERE.E2-ERbeta complexes with a t1/2 of 15-20 s. Short LXXLL-containing nuclear receptor (NR) box peptides from P160 coactivators competed much better for SRC1a binding to flERE.E2-ER than an NR box peptide from TRAP220. However, approximately 40-250-fold molar excess of the P160 NR box peptides was required to inhibit SRC1a binding by 50%. This suggests that whereas the NR box region is a primary site of interaction between SRC1a and ERE.E2-ER, additional contacts between the coactivator and the ligand-receptor-DNA complex make substantial contributions to overall affinity. Increasing amounts of NR box peptides greatly enhanced the rate of dissociation of SRC1a from preformed flERE.E2-ER complexes. The data support a model in which coactivator exchange is facilitated by active displacement and is not simply the result of passive dissociation and replacement. It also shows that an isolated coactivator exhibits an inherent capacity for rapid exchange.