scholarly journals Distinct Glucocorticoid Receptor Transcriptional Regulatory Surfaces Mediate the Cytotoxic and Cytostatic Effects of Glucocorticoids

1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 5036-5049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inez Rogatsky ◽  
Adam B. Hittelman ◽  
David Pearce ◽  
Michael J. Garabedian
Keyword(s):  
Glucocorticoid Receptor ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Cellular Proliferation ◽  
Antiproliferative Effect ◽  
Glucocorticoid Treatment ◽  
Transcriptional Regulatory ◽  
Human Osteosarcoma Cells ◽  
Transcriptional Regulatory Mechanisms

ABSTRACT Glucocorticoids act through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which can function as a transcriptional activator or repressor, to elicit cytostatic and cytotoxic effects in a variety of cells. The molecular mechanisms regulating these events and the target genes affected by the activated receptor remain largely undefined. Using cultured human osteosarcoma cells as a model for the GR antiproliferative effect, we demonstrate that in U20S cells, GR activation leads to irreversible growth inhibition, apoptosis, and repression of Bcl2. This cytotoxic effect is mediated by GR’s transcriptional repression function, since transactivation-deficient mutants and ligands still bring about apoptosis and Bcl2 down-regulation. In contrast, the antiproliferative effect of GR in SAOS2 cells is reversible, does not result in apoptosis or repression of Bcl2, and is a function of the receptor’s ability to stimulate transcription. Thus, the cytotoxic versus cytostatic outcome of glucocorticoid treatment is cell context dependent. Interestingly, the cytostatic effect of glucocorticoids in SAOS2 cells involves multiple GR activation surfaces. GR mutants and ligands that disrupt individual transcriptional activation functions (activation function 1 [AF-1] and AF-2) or receptor dimerization fail to fully inhibit cellular proliferation and, remarkably, discriminate between the targets of GR’s cytostatic action, the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p21Cip1 and p27Kip1. Induction of p21Cip1 is agonist dependent and requires AF-2 but not AF-1 or GR dimerization. In contrast, induction of p27Kip1 is agonist independent, does not require AF-2 or AF-1, but depends on GR dimerization. Our findings indicate that multiple GR transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that employ distinct receptor surfaces are used to evoke either the cytostatic or cytotoxic response to glucocorticoids.

scholarly journals BRG1 defines a genomic subset of inflammatory genes transcriptionally controlled by the glucocorticoid receptor

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aikaterini Mechtidou ◽  
Franziska Greulich ◽  
Benjamin A Strickland ◽  
Celine Jouffe ◽  
Filippo M. Cernilogar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Glucocorticoid Receptor ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Nuclear Hormone Receptor ◽  
Inflammatory Genes ◽  
Specific Subset ◽  
Primary Mouse ◽  
Independent Functions

Glucocorticoids (such as Dexamethasone) are commonly used immunomodulatory drugs with potent anti-inflammatory effects, whose mechanisms of action remain incompletely understood. They bind to the Glucocorticoid Receptor (GR), a nuclear hormone receptor that acts as a transcription factor to directly control the expression of inflammatory genes. To elucidate the complex molecular mechanisms employed by GR during the suppression of innate immune responses, we have performed proteomics, ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, RNA-seq and bioinformatics together with genetic and pharmacological loss of function studies in primary mouse macrophages. We found that GR interacts with the ATP-dependent SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex to regulate a specific subset of target genes. Here we show that the central catalytic subunit BRG1 is required not only for the transcriptional activation of classical GR target genes such as Fkbp5 or Klf9, but also for the transcriptional repression of cytokines and chemokines such as Ccl2, Cxcl10 or Il1a. We demonstrate that loss of BRG1 activity leads to reduced histone deacetylase (HDAC) function, and consequently increased histone acetylation, at these repressive GR binding sites. Altogether, our findings suggest that GR interacts with BRG1 to assemble a functional co-repressor complex at a defined fraction of macrophage cis-regulatory elements. These results may indicate additional non-classical, remodeling-independent functions of the SWI/SNF complex and may have implications for the development of future immunomodulatory therapies.

scholarly journals Glucocorticoid Receptor Phosphorylation Differentially Affects Target Gene Expression

2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 1754-1766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiwei Chen ◽  
Thoa Dang ◽  
Raymond D. Blind ◽  
Zhen Wang ◽  
Claudio N. Cavasotto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Glucocorticoid Receptor ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Leucine Zipper ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Divalent Cations ◽  
Phosphorylation Site ◽  
Transcriptional Response ◽  
Receptor Occupancy ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Interacting Protein

Abstract The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is phosphorylated at multiple sites within its N terminus (S203, S211, S226), yet the role of phosphorylation in receptor function is not understood. Using a range of agonists and GR phosphorylation site-specific antibodies, we demonstrated that GR transcriptional activation is greatest when the relative phosphorylation of S211 exceeds that of S226. Consistent with this finding, a replacement of S226 with an alanine enhances GR transcriptional response. Using a battery of compounds that perturb different signaling pathways, we found that BAPTA-AM, a chelator of intracellular divalent cations, and curcumin, a natural product with antiinflammatory properties, reduced hormone-dependent phosphorylation at S211. This change in GR phosphorylation was associated with its decreased nuclear retention and transcriptional activation. Molecular modeling suggests that GR S211 phosphorylation promotes a conformational change, which exposes a novel surface potentially facilitating cofactor interaction. Indeed, S211 phosphorylation enhances GR interaction with MED14 (vitamin D receptor interacting protein 150). Interestingly, in U2OS cells expressing a nonphosphorylated GR mutant S211A, the expression of IGF-binding protein 1 and interferon regulatory factor 8, both MED14-dependent GR target genes, was reduced relative to cells expressing wild-type receptor across a broad range of hormone concentrations. In contrast, the induction of glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper, a MED14-independent GR target, was similar in S211A- and wild-type GR-expressing cells at high hormone levels, but was reduced in S211A cells at low hormone concentrations, suggesting a link between GR phosphorylation, MED14 involvement, and receptor occupancy. Phosphorylation also affected the magnitude of repression by GR in a gene-selective manner. Thus, GR phosphorylation at S211 and S226 determines GR transcriptional response by modifying cofactor interaction. Furthermore, the effect of GR S211 phosphorylation is gene specific and, in some cases, dependent upon the amount of activated receptor.

scholarly journals The methylated-DNA binding protein MBD2 enhances NGFI-A (egr-1)-mediated transcriptional activation of the glucocorticoid receptor

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1652) ◽  
pp. 20130513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian C. G. Weaver ◽  
Ian C. Hellstrom ◽  
Shelley E. Brown ◽  
Stephen D. Andrews ◽  
Sergiy Dymov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Glucocorticoid Receptor ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Signalling Pathways ◽  
Hek 293 ◽  
293 Cells ◽  
Exon 1 ◽  
Inducible Protein

Variations in maternal care in the rat influence the epigenetic state and transcriptional activity of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene in the hippocampus. The mechanisms underlying this maternal effect remained to be defined, including the nature of the relevant maternally regulated intracellular signalling pathways. We show here that increased maternal licking/grooming (LG), which stably enhances hippocampal GR expression, paradoxically increases hippocampal expression of the methyl-CpG binding domain protein-2 (MBD2) and MBD2 binding to the exon 1 7 GR promoter. Knockdown experiments of MBD2 in hippocampal primary cell culture show that MBD2 is required for activation of exon 1 7 GR promoter. Ectopic co-expression of nerve growth factor-inducible protein A (NGFI-A) with MBD2 in HEK 293 cells with site-directed mutagenesis of the NGFI-A response element within the methylated exon 1 7 GR promoter supports the hypothesis that MBD2 collaborates with NGFI-A in binding and activation of this promoter. These data suggest a possible mechanism linking signalling pathways, which are activated by behavioural stimuli and activation of target genes.

HDAC1-Smad3-mSin3Acomplex is required for Smad3-induced transcriptional inhibition of hepatocyte growth factor receptor in human lung cancers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao-Xin Gui ◽  
Jun Peng ◽  
Ze-Ping Yang ◽  
Lu-Yao Chen ◽  
Hong Zeng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Growth Factor Receptor ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Lung Cancers ◽  
Transcriptional Inhibition ◽  
Transcriptional Suppression ◽  
Transcriptional Regulatory ◽  
Regulatory Complex ◽  
Cancer Tissues

Abstract c-Met hyperactivity has been observed in numerous neoplasms. Several researchers have shown that the abnormal activation of c-Met is mainly caused by transcriptional activation. However, the molecular mechanism behind this transcriptional regulation is poorly understood. Here, we suggest that Smad3 negatively regulates the expression and activation of c-Met via a transcriptional mechanism. We explore the molecular mechanisms that underlie Smad3-induced c-Met transcription inhibition. We found in contrast to the high expression of c-Met, Smad3 showed low protein and mRNA levels. Smad3 and c-Met expression was inconsistent between lung cancer tissues and cell lines. We also found that Smad3 overexpression suppresses whereas Smad3 knockdown significantly promotes EMT and production of the angiogenic factors VEGF, CTGF and COX-2 through the ERK1/2 pathway. In addition, Smad3 overexpression decreases whereas Smad3 knockdown significantly increases protein and mRNA levels of invasion related β-catenin and FAK through the PI3K/Akt pathway. Furthermore, using the ChIP analysis method, we demonstrate that a transcriptional regulatory complex consisting of HDAC1, Smad3 and mSin3A binds to the promoter of the c-Met gene. By either silencing endogenous mSin3A expression with siRNA or by pretreating cells with a specific HDAC1 inhibitor (MS-275), Smad3-induced transcriptional suppression of c-Met could be effectively attenuated. These results demonstrate that Smad3-induced inhibition of c-Met transcription depends on of a functional transcriptional regulatory complex that includes Smad3, mSin3A and HDAC1 at the c-Met promoter. Collectively, our findings reveal a new regulatory mechanism of c-Met signaling, and suggest a potential molecular target for the development of anticancer drugs.

ABI5 regulates ABA-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis by modulating the MYB1-bHLH3 complex in apple

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian-Ping An ◽  
Xiao-Wei Zhang ◽  
Ya-Jing Liu ◽  
Xiao-Fei Wang ◽  
Chun-Xiang You ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Abscisic Acid ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Anthocyanin Biosynthesis ◽  
Aba Signaling ◽  
Plant Growth And Development ◽  
Biochemical Tests ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Helix Loop Helix ◽  
Transcriptional Regulatory ◽  
Transcriptional Regulatory Mechanisms

Abstract Abscisic acid (ABA) induces anthocyanin biosynthesis in many plant species. However, the molecular mechanism of ABA-regulated anthocyanin biosynthesis remains unclear. As a crucial regulator of ABA signaling, ABSCISIC ACID-INSENSITIVE5 (ABI5) is involved in many aspects of plant growth and development, yet its regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis has not been elucidated. In this study, we found that MdABI5, the apple homolog of Arabidopsis ABI5, positively regulated ABA-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis. A series of biochemical tests showed that MdABI5 specifically interacts with basic helix-loop-helix 3 (MdbHLH3), a positive regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis. MdABI5 enhanced the binding of MdbHLH3 to its target genes dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (MdDFR) and UDP flavonoid glucosyl transferase (MdUF3GT). In addition, MdABI5 directly bound to the promoter of MdbHLH3 to activate its expression. Moreover, MdABI5 enhanced ABA-promoted interaction between MdMYB1 and MdbHLH3. Finally, antisense suppression of MdbHLH3 significantly reduced anthocyanin biosynthesis promoted by MdABI5, indicating that MdABI5-promoted anthocyanin biosynthesis was dependent on MdbHLH3. Taken together, our data suggest that MdABI5 plays a positive role in ABA-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis by modulating the MdbHLH3-MdMYB1 complex. Our work broadens the regulatory network of ABA-mediated anthocyanin biosynthesis, providing new insights to further study the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms behind this process.

scholarly journals Glucocorticoid regulates mesenchymal cell differentiation required for perinatal lung morphogenesis and function

2020 ◽  
Vol 319 (2) ◽  
pp. L239-L255
Author(s):  
James P. Bridges ◽  
Parvathi Sudha ◽  
Dakota Lipps ◽  
Andrew Wagner ◽  
Minzhe Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Function ◽  
Glucocorticoid Receptor ◽  
Progenitor Cell ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Mesenchymal Cell ◽  
Alveolar Type ◽  
Lung Maturation ◽  
Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene

While antenatal glucocorticoids are widely used to enhance lung function in preterm infants, cellular and molecular mechanisms by which glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling influences lung maturation remain poorly understood. Deletion of the glucocorticoid receptor gene ( Nr3c1) from fetal pulmonary mesenchymal cells phenocopied defects caused by global Nr3c1 deletion, while lung epithelial- or endothelial-specific Nr3c1 deletion did not impair lung function at birth. We integrated genome-wide gene expression profiling, ATAC-seq, and single cell RNA-seq data in mice in which GR was deleted or activated to identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which glucocorticoids control prenatal lung maturation. GR enhanced differentiation of a newly defined proliferative mesenchymal progenitor cell (PMP) into matrix fibroblasts (MFBs), in part by directly activating extracellular matrix-associated target genes, including Fn1, Col16a4, and Eln and by modulating VEGF, JAK-STAT, and WNT signaling. Loss of mesenchymal GR signaling blocked fibroblast progenitor differentiation into mature MFBs, which in turn increased proliferation of SOX9+ alveolar epithelial progenitor cells and inhibited differentiation of mature alveolar type II (AT2) and AT1 cells. GR signaling controls genes required for differentiation of a subset of proliferative mesenchymal progenitors into matrix fibroblasts, in turn, regulating signals controlling AT2/AT1 progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation and identifying cells and processes by which glucocorticoid signaling regulates fetal lung maturation.

scholarly journals A Novel Isoform of Human LZIP Negatively Regulates the Transactivation of the Glucocorticoid Receptor

2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 1746-1757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyereen Kang ◽  
Yoon Suk Kim ◽  
Jesang Ko
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Glucocorticoid Receptor ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Leucine Zipper ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene ◽  
Basic Leucine Zipper

Abstract The human leucine zipper protein (LZIP) is a basic leucine zipper transcription factor that is involved in leukocyte migration, tumor suppression, and endoplasmic reticulum stress-associated protein degradation. Although evidence suggests a diversity of roles for LZIP, its function is not fully understood, and the subcellular localization of LZIP is still controversial. We identified a novel isoform of LZIP and characterized its function in ligand-induced transactivation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in COS-7 and HeLa cells. A novel isoform of human LZIP designated as “sLZIP” contains a deleted putative transmembrane domain (amino acids 229–245) of LZIP and consists of 345 amino acids. LZIP and sLZIP were ubiquitously expressed in a variety of cell lines and tissues, with LZIP being much more common. sLZIP was mainly localized in the nucleus, whereas LZIP was located in the cytoplasm. Unlike LZIP, sLZIP was not involved in the chemokine-mediated signal pathway. sLZIP recruited histone deacetylases (HDACs) to the promoter region of the mouse mammary tumor virus luciferase reporter gene and enhanced the activities of HDACs, resulting in suppression of expression of the GR target genes. Our findings suggest that sLZIP functions as a negative regulator in glucocorticoid-induced transcriptional activation of GR by recruitment and activation of HDACs.

scholarly journals Glucocorticoid receptor-PPARα axis in fetal mouse liver prepares neonates for milk lipid catabolism

eLife ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianpaolo Rando ◽  
Chek Kun Tan ◽  
Nourhène Khaled ◽  
Alexandra Montagner ◽  
Nicolas Leuenberger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Glucocorticoid Receptor ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Milk Fat ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Fetal Liver ◽  
Milk Lipid ◽  
Epigenetic Switch ◽  
Lipid Catabolism ◽  
Fetal Mouse Liver ◽  
Neonatal Liver

In mammals, hepatic lipid catabolism is essential for the newborns to efficiently use milk fat as an energy source. However, it is unclear how this critical trait is acquired and regulated. We demonstrate that under the control of PPARα, the genes required for lipid catabolism are transcribed before birth so that the neonatal liver has a prompt capacity to extract energy from milk upon suckling. The mechanism involves a fetal glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-PPARα axis in which GR directly regulates the transcriptional activation of PPARα by binding to its promoter. Certain PPARα target genes such as Fgf21 remain repressed in the fetal liver and become PPARα responsive after birth following an epigenetic switch triggered by β-hydroxybutyrate-mediated inhibition of HDAC3. This study identifies an endocrine developmental axis in which fetal GR primes the activity of PPARα in anticipation of the sudden shifts in postnatal nutrient source and metabolic demands.

scholarly journals A nuclear factor for interleukin-6 expression (NF-IL6) and the glucocorticoid receptor synergistically activate transcription of the rat alpha 1-acid glycoprotein gene via direct protein-protein interaction.

1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1854-1862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Nishio ◽  
H Isshiki ◽  
T Kishimoto ◽  
S Akira
Keyword(s):  
Glucocorticoid Receptor ◽  
Inflammatory Cytokines ◽  
Acute Phase ◽  
Protein Interaction ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Phase Reaction ◽  
Nuclear Factor ◽  
Acid Glycoprotein ◽  
Protein Protein Interaction

The acute-phase reaction is accompanied by an increase in a variety of serum proteins, named acute-phase proteins. The synthesis of these proteins is synergistically controlled by glucocorticoids and inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Recently, we have cloned nuclear factor-IL-6 (NF-IL6), a transcription factor that activates the IL-6 gene, and have demonstrated its involvement in the expression of acute-phase-protein genes. We report here an analysis of the molecular mechanisms by which inflammatory cytokines and glucocorticoid act synergistically to activate expression of the rat alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) gene. We found that NF-IL6 and ligand-activated rat glucocorticoid receptor acted synergistically to transactivate the AGP gene and that maximal transcriptional activation of the AGP gene required expression of both intact NF-IL6 and rat glucocorticoid receptor. Surprisingly, however, transcriptional synergism was still observed even when one of the two factors lacked either its DNA-binding or transcriptional-activation function. We present evidence for a direct protein-protein interaction between these two distinct transcription factors and propose that this may be responsible for the synergistic activation of the rat AGP gene.

Activation Functions 1 and 2 of Nuclear Receptors: Molecular Strategies for Transcriptional Activation

2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 1901-1909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anette Wärnmark ◽  
Eckardt Treuter ◽  
Anthony P. H. Wright ◽  
Jan-Åke Gustafsson
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Nuclear Receptors ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Preinitiation Complex ◽  
Activation Domains ◽  
Terminal Domain

Abstract Nuclear receptors (NRs) comprise a family of ligand inducible transcription factors. To achieve transcriptional activation of target genes, DNA-bound NRs directly recruit general transcription factors (GTFs) to the preinitiation complex or bind intermediary factors, so-called coactivators. These coactivators often constitute subunits of larger multiprotein complexes that act at several functional levels, such as chromatin remodeling, enzymatic modification of histone tails, or modulation of the preinitiation complex via interactions with RNA polymerase II and GTFs. The binding of NR to coactivators is often mediated through one of its activation domains. Many NRs have at least two activation domains, the ligand-independent activation function (AF)-1, which resides in the N-terminal domain, and the ligand-dependent AF-2, which is localized in the C-terminal domain. In this review, we summarize and discuss current knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms of AF-1- and AF-2-mediated gene activation, focusing on AF-1 and AF-2 conformation and coactivator binding.

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