Nucleoside triphosphates promote the transformation of Ah receptor to its DNA-binding form

When it is bound to a specific ligand such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, mild heating can convert the Ah (aryl hydrocarbon) receptor into a form capable of binding DNA. We found that physiological (1-3 mM) levels of ATP substantially increased the transformation of the receptor to its DNA-binding form. GTP, UTP and CTP had similar effects. ADP also promoted this transformation, but was less effective than ATP at low concentrations. Pyrophosphate too promoted transformation, but AMP had little effect. The process did not require nucleotide hydrolysis, since non-hydrolysable analogues of ATP such as adenosine 5′-[beta gamma-imido]triphosphate were nearly as effective as ATP itself. Inhibitors of ATP-stimulated proteases did not significantly affect the ability of ATP to promote receptor transformation, which suggests that the effect of ATP was not mediated by these proteases.

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Transformation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor to a DNA-binding form is accompanied by release of the 90 kDa heat-shock protein and increased affinity for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj2940095 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 294 (1) ◽

pp. 95-101 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

E C Henry ◽

T A Gasiewicz

Keyword(s):

Heat Shock ◽

Dna Binding ◽

Heat Shock Protein ◽

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor ◽

Incubation Temperature ◽

Binding Affinities ◽

Aryl Hydrocarbon ◽

Molecular Events ◽

Binding Forms ◽

Tetrachlorodibenzo P Dioxin

The binding of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) elicits a sequence of poorly defined molecular events that ultimately yield a heteromeric transformed AhR that is active as a transcription factor. We have previously developed a model of the ligand-initiated transformation of the AhR to the DNA-binding state based on characterization of several forms of the AhR with respect to their physicochemical properties and DNA-binding affinities. The present studies were designed to determine whether, and at what stage, this process of transformation alters the receptor's affinity for TCDD. In rat hepatic cytosol, approx. 10% of the TCDD specifically bound to the AhR rapidly dissociated (t1/2 approximately 1 h), while the remainder was only slowly dissociable (t1/2 approximately 70 h). The isolated DNA-binding forms of the receptor (monomeric and transformed) bound TCDD very tightly (t1/2 > 100 h), whereas TCDD was dissociable from the non-DNA-binding receptor form(s). A lower incubation temperature (0-4 degrees C) and the presence of molybdate partially stabilized the non-DNA-binding fraction of the TCDD.receptor complex and also enhanced TCDD dissociation in crude cytosol. Immunoprecipitation of the different AhR forms with an anti-AhR antibody and immunoblotting with antibody to the 90 kDa heat-shock protein (hsp90) demonstrated that hsp90 was associated with the unoccupied receptor complex as well as with a fraction of the non-DNA-binding TCDD.receptor complex; isolated DNA-binding forms did not contain detectable hsp90. We conclude that while hsp90 remains associated with the AhR, TCDD is readily dissociable; following release of hsp90, however, TCDD becomes very tightly bound, and remains so upon completion of transformation.

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