Methylation specifies distinct estrogen-induced binding site repertoires of CBP to chromatin.

Multiple signaling pathways ultimately modulate the epigenetic information embedded in the chromatin of gene promoters by recruiting epigenetic enzymes. We found that, in estrogen-regulated gene programming, the acetyltransferase CREB-binding protein (CBP) is specifically and exclusively methylated by the coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase (CARM1) in vivo. CARM1-dependent CBP methylation and p160 coactivators were required for estrogen-induced recruitment to chromatin targets. Notably, methylation increased the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity of CBP and stimulated its autoacetylation. Comparative genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) studies revealed a variety of patterns by which p160, CBP, and methyl-CBP (meCBP) are recruited (or not) by estrogen to chromatin targets. Moreover, significant target gene-specific variation in the recruitment of (1) the p160 RAC3 protein, (2) the fraction of a given meCBP species within the total CBP, and (3) the relative recruitment of different meCBP species suggests the existence of a target gene-specific "fingerprint" for coregulator recruitment. Crossing ChIP-seq and transcriptomics profiles revealed the existence of meCBP "hubs" within the network of estrogen-regulated genes. Together, our data provide evidence for an unprecedented mechanism by which CARM1-dependent CBP methylation results in gene-selective association of estrogen-recruited meCBP species with different HAT activities and specifies distinct target gene hubs, thus diversifying estrogen receptor programming.

Silicon analogues of the RXR-selective retinoid agonist SR11237 (BMS649): chemistry and biology.

C/Si switch: Twofold sila-substitution (C/Si exchange) in the RXR-selective retinoids 4 a (SR11237) and 5 a leads to 4 b (disila-SR11237) and 5 b, respectively. Chemistry and biology of the C/Si pairs are reported.SR11237 (BMS649, 4 a) is a pan-RXR-selective retinoid agonist. Its silicon analogue, disila-SR11237 (4 b; twofold C/Si exchange), was prepared in a multistep synthesis by starting from 1,2-bis(ethynyldimethylsilyl)ethane. In addition, the related C/Si analogues 5 a and 5 b, with an indane (disila-indane) instead of a tetraline (disila-tetraline) skeleton, were synthesized. The C/Si pairs 4 a/4 b and 5 a/5 b were studied for their interaction with retinoid receptors and were demonstrated to be highly potent RXR-selective ("rexinoid") agonists. Interestingly, twofold C/Si exchange in the indane moiety of 5 a resulted in a 10-fold increase in biological activity of the corresponding silicon-containing rexinoid 5 b, possibly resulting from an increased receptor affinity or a divergent allosteric effect on co-regulator-binding surfaces. The crystal structures of the ternary complexes formed by 5 a and 5 b, respectively, with the ligand-binding domain of hRXRalpha and a peptide of the co-activator TIF2/GRIP1 revealed additional interactions of the disila analogue 5 b with the H7 and H11 residues, supporting the first option of increased binding affinity. This is the first demonstration of an increase in binding affinity of a ligand to a nuclear receptor by C/Si replacement, thereby adding this C/Si switch strategy to the repertoire of nuclear receptor ligand design.

Differential action on coregulator interaction defines inverse retinoid agonists and neutral antagonists.

Retinoic acid receptors (RARs) are ligand-dependent transcription factors that control a plethora of physiological processes. RARs exert their functions by regulating gene networks controlling cell growth, differentiation, survival, and death. Uncovering the molecular details by which synthetic ligands direct specificity and functionality of nuclear receptors is key to rational drug development. Here we define the molecular basis for (E)-4-[2-[5,6-Dihydro-5,5-dimethyl-8-(2-phenylethynyl)naphthalen-2-yl]ethen-1-yl]benzoic acid (BMS204,493) acting as the inverse pan-RAR agonist and define 4-[5,6-Dihydro-5,5-dimethyl-8-(quinolin-3-yl)naphthalen-2-carboxamido]benzoic acid (BMS195,614) as the neutral RARalpha-selective antagonist. We reveal the details of the differential coregulator interactions imposed on the receptor by the ligands and show that the anchoring of H12 is fundamentally distinct in the presence of the two ligands, thus accounting for the observed effects on coactivator and corepressor interactions. These ligands will facilitate studies on the role of the constitutive activity of RARs, particularly of the tumor suppressor RARbeta, whose specific functions relative to other RARs have remained elusive.

Silicon analogues of the retinoid agonists TTNPB and 3-methyl-TTNPB, disila-TTNPB and disila-3-methyl-TTNPB: chemistry and biology.

Twofold sila-substitution (C/Si exchange) in the saturated ring of the tetrahydronaphthalene skeleton of the retinoid agonists TTNPB (1 a) and 3-methyl-TTNPB (2 a) leads to disila-TTNPB (1 b) and disila-3-methyl-TTNPB (2 b), respectively. The silicon compounds 1 b and 2 b were synthesized in multiple steps, and their identities were established by elemental analyses, multinuclear NMR experiments, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Like TTNPB (1 a) and 3-methyl-TTNPB (2 a), the analogous silicon-based arotinoids 1 b and 2 b are strong pan-RAR agonists and display the same strong differentiation and apoptosis-inducing activity in NB4 promyelocytic leukemia cells as the parent carbon compounds. These results are in keeping with the nearly isomorphous structures of 1 a and 1 b bound to the complex of the RARbeta ligand-binding domain with the nuclear receptor (NR) box 2 peptide of the SRC-1 coactivator. The contacts within the ligand-binding pocket are identical except for helix H11, for which two turns are shifted in the disila-TTNPB (1 b) complex. This study represents the first comprehensive structure-function analysis of a carbon/silicon switch in a signaling molecule and demonstrates that silicon analogues can have the same biological functionalities and conserved structures as their parent carbon compounds, and it illustrates at the same time that silicon analogues of biologically active compounds have the potential to induce alternative allosteric effects, as in the case of helix H11, which might allow for novel options in drug design.

P38MAPK-dependent phosphorylation and degradation of SRC-3/AIB1 and RARalpha-mediated transcription.

Nuclear retinoic acid (RA) receptors (RARs) activate gene expression through dynamic interactions with coregulators in coordination with the ligand and phosphorylation processes. Here we show that during RA-dependent activation of the RARalpha isotype, the p160 coactivator pCIP/ACTR/AIB-1/RAC-3/TRAM-1/SRC-3 is phosphorylated by p38MAPK. SRC-3 phosphorylation has been correlated to an initial facilitation of RARalpha-target genes activation, via the control of the dynamics of the interactions of the coactivator with RARalpha. Then, phosphorylation inhibits transcription via promoting the degradation of SRC-3. In line with this, inhibition of p38MAPK markedly enhances RARalpha-mediated transcription and RA-dependent induction of cell differentiation. SRC-3 phosphorylation and degradation occur only within the context of RARalpha complexes, suggesting that the RAR isotype defines a phosphorylation code through dictating the accessibility of the coactivator to p38MAPK. We propose a model in which RARalpha transcriptional activity is regulated by SRC-3 through coordinated events that are fine-tuned by RA and p38MAPK.

Synthesis of the PPARbeta/delta-selective agonist GW501516 and C4-thiazole-substituted analogs.

Sequential, position-selective, Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of 2,4-dibromo-5-hydroxymethylthiazole provided the scaffold for the synthesis of GW501516, the most potent PPARbeta/delta agonist yet described, and equally selective analogs at the thiazole-C4 position.

ADA3-containing complexes associate with estrogen receptor alpha.

Transcriptional repression and activation by nuclear receptors (NRs) are brought about by coregulator complexes. These complexes modify the chromatin environment of target genes and affect the activity of the basal transcription machinery. We have previously implicated the yeast ADA3 protein in transcriptional activation by estrogen and retinoid X receptors in yeast and mammalian cells. Here we report the cloning of the mouse homolog of ADA3 and its characterization with respect to the estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) function. Mouse mADA3 is 23% identical and 47% similar to yeast yADA3, and mADA3 in contrast to yADA3 does not interact with NRs directly even though it contains two LxxLL NR boxes. However, the ADA3-containing TBP-free-TAF-containing complex (TFTC) can interact with ERalpha in a ligand-independent manner, indicating that other subunits of the complex are sufficient to mediate interaction with NRs.