Faculty Bibliography

The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is phosphorylated at multiple serine residues in a hormone-dependent manner, yet progress on elucidating the function of GR phosphorylation has been hindered by the lack of a simple assay to detect receptor phosphorylation in vivo. We have produced antibodies that specifically recognize phosphorylation sites within human GR at Ser(203) and Ser(211). In the absence of hormone, the level of GR phosphorylation at Ser(211) was low compared with phosphorylation at Ser(203). Phosphorylation of both residues increased upon treatment with the GR agonist dexamethasone. Using a battery of agonists and antagonists, we found that the transcriptional activity of GR correlated with the amount of phosphorylation at Ser(211), suggesting that Ser(211) phosphorylation is a biomarker for activated GR in vivo. Mechanistically, the kinetics of Ser(203) and Ser(211) phosphorylation in response to hormone differed, with Ser(211) displaying a more robust and sustained phosphorylation relative to Ser(203). Analysis of GR immunoprecipitates with phospho-GR-specific antibodies indicated that the receptor was phosphorylated heterogeneously at Ser(203) in the absence of hormone, whereas in the presence of hormone, a subpopulation of receptors was phosphorylated at both Ser(203) and Ser(211). Interestingly, biochemical fractionation studies following hormone treatment indicated that the Ser(203)-phosphorylated form of the receptor was predominantly cytoplasmic, whereas Ser(211)-phosphorylated GR was found in the nucleus. Likewise, by immunofluorescence, Ser(203)-phosphorylated GR was located in the cytoplasm and perinuclear regions of the cell, but not in the nucleoplasm, whereas strong phospho-Ser(211) staining was evident in the nucleoplasm of hormone-treated cells. Our results suggest that differentially phosphorylated receptor species are located in unique subcellular compartments, likely modulating distinct aspects of receptor function

The androgen receptor (AR) is a ligand-regulated transcription factor that stimulates cell growth and differentiation in androgen-responsive tissues. The AR N terminus contains two activation functions (AF-1a and AF-1b) that are necessary for maximal transcriptional enhancement by the receptor; however, the mechanisms and components regulating AR transcriptional activation are not fully understood. We sought to identify novel factors that interact with the AR N terminus from an androgen-stimulated human prostate cancer cell library using a yeast two-hybrid approach designed to identify proteins that interact with transcriptional activation domains. A 157-amino acid protein termed ART-27 was cloned and shown to interact predominantly with the AR(153-336), containing AF-1a and a part of AF-1b, localize to the nucleus and increase the transcriptional activity of AR when overexpressed in cultured mammalian cells. ART-27 also enhanced the transcriptional activation by AR(153-336) fused to the LexA DNA-binding domain but not other AR N-terminal subdomains, suggesting that ART-27 exerts its effect via an interaction with a defined region of the AR N terminus. ART-27 interacts with AR in nuclear extracts from LNCaP cells in a ligand-independent manner. Interestingly, velocity gradient sedimentation of HeLa nuclear extracts suggests that native ART-27 is part of a multiprotein complex. ART-27 is expressed in a variety of human tissues, including sites of androgen action such as prostate and skeletal muscle, and is conserved throughout evolution. Thus, ART-27 is a novel cofactor that interacts with the AR N terminus and plays a role in facilitating receptor-induced transcriptional activation

The dentino-enamel junction is not an simple inert interface between two mineralized structures. A less simplistic view suggests that the dentino-enamel junctional complex should also include the inner aprismatic enamel and the mantle dentin. At early stages of enamel formation, fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 is stored in and released from the inner aprismatic enamel, possibly under the control of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3. The concentration peak for MMP-2 and -9 observed in the mantle dentin coincided with a very low labeling for TIMP-1 and -2, favoring the cross-talk between mineralizing epithelial and connective structures, and as a consequence the translocation of enamel proteins toward odontoblasts and pulp cells, and vice versa, the translocation of dentin proteins toward secretory ameloblasts and cells of the enamel organ. Finally, in X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets, large interglobular spaces in the circumpulpal dentin were the major defect induced by the gene alteration, whereas the mantle dentin was constantly unaffected. Altogether, these data plead for the recognition of the dentino-enamel junctional complex as a specific entity bearing its own biological characteristics

The estrogen receptor alpha (ER) is a ligand-dependent transcription factor that plays a critical role in the development and progression of breast cancer, in part, by regulating target genes involved in cellular proliferation. To identify novel components that affect the ER transcriptional response, we performed a genetic screen in yeast and identified RDI1, a Rho guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor (Rho GDI), as a positive regulator of ER transactivation. Overexpression of the human homologue of RDI1, Rho GDIalpha, increases ERalpha, ERbeta, androgen receptor, and glucocorticoid receptor transcriptional activation in mammalian cells but not activation by the unrelated transcription factors serum response factor and Sp1. In contrast, expression of constitutively active forms of RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 decrease ER transcriptional activity, suggesting that Rho GDI increases ER transactivation by antagonizing Rho function. Inhibition of RhoA by expression of either the Clostridium botulinum C3 transferase or a dominant negative RhoA resulted in enhanced ER transcriptional activation, thus phenocopying the effect of Rho GDI expression on ER transactivation. Together, these findings establish the Rho GTPases as important modulators of ER transcriptional activation. Since Rho GTPases regulate actin polymerization, our findings suggest a link between the major regulators of cellular architecture and steroid receptor transcriptional response

To elucidate the mechanism of androgen-dependent cellular proliferation in prostate cancer, androgen-dependent alterations of individual cell cycle regulatory proteins in the androgen-sensitive prostate cancer cell line LNCaP were evaluated. LNCaP cells were deprived of androgens by culture in steroid-depleted media for 5 days, which resulted in the maximal accumulation of cells in G(0)/G(1) phase of the cell cycle. The mitogenic concentration of the synthetic androgen R1881 was established as 0.1 nM using cell proliferation assay. Protein and mRNA levels of particular cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks), cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (Ckis), and the retinoblastoma proteins (Rb) were assessed. Androgen stimulation resulted in a post-transcriptional reduction in Rb protein levels, an increase in Rb phosphorylation at serine 780 and an accumulation of high molecular weight Rb protein species. Androgen stimulation also induced the expression of the Cdk2 and Cdk1 as well as their regulatory partners, cyclin A and cyclin B, resulting in a corresponding increase in cyclin A/Cdk2 activity in vitro. Pulse-chase showed decreased Rb protein stability in androgen-treated LNCaP cells. Collectively, our findings suggest a novel mechanism of androgen-dependent prostate cancer growth in which androgen stimulation results in decreased Rb protein expression in LNCaP cells. The observation of decreased Rb protein stability in the setting of increased phosphorylation supports the concept of phosphorylation mediated protein degradation. We propose that the observed reduction in Rb protein level occurs through Rb degradation via the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway, and is preceded by selective Rb phosphorylation by cyclin A/Cdk2 and cyclin B/Cdk1

Steroid hormones regulate the transcription of numerous genes via high affinity receptors that act in concert with chromatin remodeling complexes, coactivators and corepressors. We have compared the activities of a variety of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonists in breast cancer and osteosarcoma cell lines engineered to stably maintain the mouse mammary tumor virus promoter. In both cell types, GR activation by dexamethasone occurs via the disruption of mouse mammary tumor virus chromatin structure and the recruitment of receptor coactivator proteins. However, when challenged with a variety of antagonists the GR displays differential ability to activate transcription within the two cell types. For the breast cancer cells, the antagonists fail to activate the promoter and do not promote the association of the GR with either remodeling or coactivator proteins. In contrast, in osteosarcoma cells, the antiglucocorticoids, RU486 and RU43044, exhibit partial agonist activity. The capacity of these antagonists to stimulate transcription in the osteosarcoma cells is reflected in the ability of the RU486-bound receptor to remodel chromatin and associate with chromatin-remodeling proteins. Similarly, the observation that the RU486-bound receptor does not fully activate transcription is consistent with its inability to recruit receptor coactivator proteins

The hormone-activated glucocorticoid receptor (GR), through its N- and C-terminal transcriptional activation functions AF-1 and AF-2, controls the transcription of target genes presumably through interaction(s) with transcriptional regulatory factors. Utilizing a modified yeast two-hybrid approach, we have identified the tumor susceptibility gene 101 (TSG101) and the vitamin D receptor-interacting protein 150 (DRIP150) as proteins that interact specifically with a functional GR AF-1 surface. In yeast and mammalian cells, TSG101 represses whereas DRIP150 enhances GR AF-1-mediated transactivation. Thus, GR AF-1 is capable of recruiting both positive and negative regulatory factors that differentially regulate GR transcriptional enhancement. In addition, we show that another member of the DRIP complex, DRIP205, interacts with the GR ligand binding domain in a hormone-dependent manner and facilitates GR transactivation in concert with DRIP150. These results suggest that DRIP150 and DRIP205 functionally link GR AF-1 and AF-2, and represent important mediators of GR transcriptional enhancement

Both estradiol binding and phosphorylation regulate transcriptional activation by the human estrogen receptor alpha (ER). We have previously shown that activation of the cyclin A-CDK2 complex by overexpression of cyclin A leads to enhanced ER-dependent transcriptional activation and that the cyclin A-CDK2 complex phosphorylates the ER N-terminal activation function-1 (AF-1) between residues 82 and 121. Within ER AF-1, serines 104, 106, and 118 represent potential CDK phosphorylation sites, and in this current study, we ascertain their importance in mediating cyclin A-CDK2-dependent enhancement of ER transcriptional activity. Cyclin A overexpression does not enhance transcriptional activation by an ER derivative bearing serine-to-alanine changes at residues 104, 106, and 118. Likewise, the cyclin A-CDK2 complex does not phosphorylate this triple-mutated derivative in vitro. Individual serine-to-alanine mutations at residues 104 and 106, but not 118, decrease ER-dependent transcriptional enhancement in response to cyclin A. The same relationship holds for ER phosphorylation by cyclin A-CDK2 in vitro. Finally, enhancement of ER transcriptional activation by cyclin A is evident in the absence and presence of estradiol, as well as in the presence of tamoxifen, suggesting that the effect of the cyclin A-CDK2 on ER transcriptional activation is AF-2-independent. These results indicate that the enhancement of ER transcriptional activation by the cyclin A-CDK2 complex is mediated via the AF-1 domain by phosphorylation of serines 104 and 106. We propose that these residues control ER AF-1 activity in response to signals that affect cyclin A-CDK2 function

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 p21(Cip1) and p27(Kip1). Induction of p21(Cip1) is agonist dependent and requires AF-2 but not AF-1 or GR dimerization. In contrast, induction of p27(Kip1) 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