tretinoin and 1-4-bis(2-(3-5-dichloropyridyloxy))benzene

The constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) enhances transcription of specific target genes that regulate several metabolic pathways. CAR functions as an obligate heterodimer (CAR-RXR) with the retinoid X receptor (RXR). Also part of the active receptor complex is the steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1) which interacts with the receptor complex via specific receptor interaction domains (RIDs). A peptide derived from SRC-1 RID2 is used to study the thermodynamic properties of the interaction with the CAR-RXR ligand binding domain (LBD) complex. In the absence of ligands for both CAR and RXR, binding of coactivator peptide to the CAR-RXR heterodimer is characterized by a favorable enthalpy change and an unfavorable entropy change. The addition of the CAR agonist, TCPOBOP, increases the affinity for coactivator by decreasing the unfavorable entropy and increasing the favorable intrinsic enthalpy of the interaction. The RXR ligand, 9-cis-RA, generates a second SRC-1 site and increases the affinity by improving the entropic component of binding. There is an additional increase in affinity for one of the two sites in the presence of both ligands. The change in heat capacity (deltaCp) is also investigated. A 2-fold difference in deltaCp is observed between liganded and unliganded CAR-RXR. The observed thermodynamic parameters for binding of SRC-1 peptide to liganded and apo CAR-RXR as well as the difference in the deltaCp data provide evidence that the apo CAR-RXR heterodimer is conformationally mobile. The more favorable enthalpic contribution for TCPOBOP-bound CAR-RXR indicates that preformation of the binding site improves the complementarity of the coactivator-receptor interaction.

Topics: Alitretinoin; Animals; Calorimetry; Constitutive Androstane Receptor; Histone Acetyltransferases; Ligands; Mice; Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 1; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Pyridines; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; Receptors, Steroid; Retinoid X Receptors; Thermodynamics; Transcription Factors; Tretinoin

Thyroid hormone is known to elicit diverse cellular and metabolic effects in various organs, including mitogenesis in the rat liver. In the present study, experiments were carried out to determine whether thyroid hormone is able to stimulate cell proliferation in another quiescent organ such as the pancreas. 3,5,3'-L-tri-iodothyronine (T3) added to the diet at a concentration of 4 mg/kg caused a striking increase in nuclear bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation of rat acinar cells 7 days after treatment (the labeling index was 46.7% in T3-treated rats vs 7.1% in controls). BrdU incorporation was limited to the acinar cells, with duct cells and islet cells being essentially negative. The increase in DNA synthesis was accompanied by the presence of several mitotic figures. Histological examination of the pancreas did not exhibit any sign of T3-induced toxicity. Determination of the apoptotic index, measurement of the serum levels of alpha-amylase and lipase, and glycemia determination did not show any increase over control values, suggesting that the enhanced proliferation of acinar cells was a direct effect induced by T3 and not a regenerative response consequent to acinar or beta-cell injury. Additional experiments showed that DNA synthesis was induced as early as 2 days after T3 treatment (the labeling index was 9.4 vs 1.9% in controls) and was associated with increased protein levels of cyclin D1, cyclin A and proliferating cell nuclear antigen, with no substantial differences in the expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27. The mitogenic effect of T3 on the pancreas was not limited to the rat, since extensive acinar cell proliferation was also observed in the pancreas of mice treated with T3 for 1 week (the labeling index was 28% in T3-treated mice vs 1.8% in controls). Treatment with three other ligands of nuclear receptors, ciprofibrate, all-trans retinoic acid and 1,4-bis[2-(3,5-dichloropyridyloxy)]benzene, induced little or no pancreatic cell proliferation. These results demonstrated that T3 is a powerful inducer of cell proliferation in the pancreas and suggested that pancreatic acinar cell proliferation by selected agents may have potential for therapeutic use.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Biomarkers; Blotting, Western; Bromodeoxyuridine; Cell Proliferation; Clofibric Acid; Cyclin A; Cyclin D1; Female; Fibric Acids; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Pancreas; Peroxisome Proliferators; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; Pyridines; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; Stimulation, Chemical; Tretinoin; Triiodothyronine

The nuclear orphan receptor constitutive active receptor (CAR) can be activated to induce CYP2B genes by the potent phenobarbital-type inducer 1,4-bis[2-(3,5-dichloropyridyloxy)]benzene (TCPOBOP) in which the receptor forms a heterodimer with the retinoid X receptor (RXR) and binds to a conserved enhancer element NR1. Effects of retinoic acids on the activation of CAR were examined. Treatment with 9-cis- or all-trans-retinoic acid markedly repressed TCPOBOP induction of CYP2B10 mRNA in mouse primary hepatocytes. Both retinoic acids also repressed TCPOBOP-induced NR1 enhancer activity in both transfected hepatocytes and HepG2 cells. Moreover, coexpression of the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) increased the repression in the cotransfected HepG2 cells, whereas that of RXR decreased the repression. Thus, the increased heterodimerization of RXR with RAR by retinoic acid treatment seemed to reduce the RXR available for CAR heterodimerization, resulting in the repression of CAR activity. This type of nuclear receptor signaling may play an important role as a modulator in the CYP2B regulation.

Topics: Alitretinoin; Animals; Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases; Constitutive Androstane Receptor; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Cytochrome P450 Family 2; Enzyme Induction; Enzyme Repression; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Hepatocytes; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Pyridines; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; Steroid Hydroxylases; Transcription Factors; Transfection; Tretinoin; Tumor Cells, Cultured