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Query: UNIPROT:P06889 (Mol)
 630,302 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The DNA-binding domain of the glucocorticoid receptor contains two zinc ions which are important for the structure and function of the protein. The zinc ions are tetrahedrally coordinated by cysteine residues within the DNA-binding domain. The DNA-binding domain of the glucocorticoid receptor, as well as of the other nuclear hormone receptors, contains nine highly conserved cysteine residues. It has not been clearly established which of these nine cysteine residues are involved in the coordination of zinc. Two models have been proposed for the zinc coordination scheme. We present evidence in favour of the model which excludes the most C-terminal cysteine residue (Cys-481 of the human glucocorticoid receptor) from the zinc coordination scheme. Mutation of this residue in the context of the glucocorticoid receptor DNA-binding domain expressed in E. coli does not significantly reduce the structural integrity of the protein or its DNA-binding properties. These in vitro results are also confirmed by in vivo transactivation assays in yeast.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 1992 Apr
PMID:Zinc coordination scheme for the C-terminal zinc binding site of nuclear hormone receptors. 156 79

We have tested the hypothesis that antidepressants affect the expression of the glucocorticoid receptor gene, by looking at glucocorticoid receptor gene promoter activity, glucocorticoid receptor mRNA levels, and glucocorticoid-binding activity after treatment of different cell lines with desipramine. Treatment of LTK- cells or Neuro 2A cells with desipramine produced a 50-200% increase in chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity transcribed from a 2.7-kilobase glucocorticoid receptor gene promoter region. In cell lines derived from both neuronal and non-neuronal sources, glucocorticoid receptor mRNA concentration doubled after desipramine treatment, and this was associated with a 2-fold higher functional glucocorticoid binding capacity and increased glucocorticoid sensitivity, as measured with the reporter plasmid pMMTVCAT. Antidepressant-induced increases in glucocorticoid receptor gene promoter activity, glucocorticoid receptor mRNA levels, and functional glucocorticoid binding activity suggest a novel mechanism of action for these drugs on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
Mol Pharmacol 1992 Jun
PMID:Increased glucocorticoid receptor gene promoter activity after antidepressant treatment. 161 6

The effect of corticosterone injection and of acute and repeated stress on rat liver cytosol glucocorticoid receptor was studied to ascertain whether corticosterone-induced glucocorticoid receptor (GR) regulation also takes place in intact animals as it does in adrenalectomized ones. Adult male rats were exposed to six different stressors (swimming, 10 mg/kg histamine i.p., 500 mU/kg vasopressin s.c., heat, immobilization and cold) acutely or three times daily for 18 days (repeated stress). Each of the stressors applied acutely provoked a pronounced increase of plasma corticosterone with subsequent induction of hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity. Depletion of cytosol receptor was however only noticed after swimming and histamine injection. On the other hand, sustained hypersecretion of corticosterone evoked by repeated stress significantly reduced the number of GR in rat liver cytosol without any change in Kd. It is concluded that in the presence of intact adrenal glands cytosol receptors are more resistant to corticosterone-induced depletion than in their absence. Further, repeated stress causes down-regulation of GR in the liver, most probably by sustained corticosterone secretion, yet the effect of other stress factors cannot be excluded.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 1992 Jun
PMID:Stress-induced changes of glucocorticoid receptor in rat liver. 161 78

A recombinant adenovirus system has been designed that confers glucocorticoid responsiveness upon infected cells in culture. Two mutually dependent viruses are required: a trans-activator virus containing the human glucocorticoid receptor transcription unit and a second receptor virus harboring a glucocorticoid response element linked to the firefly luciferase gene. Another reciprocal pair of viruses has been generated; one member expresses the rat thyroid hormone receptor alpha, while the other contains the luciferase gene regulated by a thyroid hormone-responsive DNA element. Corticosteroid- or thyroid hormone-induced transcription can be efficiently and accurately quantitated from cells coinfected with the appropriate complementary virus pair 20 h after infection in 96-well microtiter plates. This coinfection assay offers a convenient way to measure transcriptional activation by nuclear receptors and has certain key advantages over the commonly used cotransfection method. Its sensitivity and precision make it a practical approach to rapidly identify substances extracted from complex biological samples activating candidate "orphan" nuclear receptor molecules.
Mol Endocrinol 1991 Feb
PMID:An adenoviral vector system for functional identification of nuclear receptor ligands. 164 57

The assay systems for steroid receptor functions in steroid-sensitive cells (SC-3 cells) were developed in which hormone-responsive element linked to a reporter gene [chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene] was transfected by the electroporation technique. Stimulation with androgen of SC-3 cells transfected with mouse mammary tumor virus promoter-CAT gene (MMTV-CAT) resulted in clear enhancement of CAT activity, whereas glucocorticoid required abnormally high concentrations to obtain significant stimulation. The simultaneous addition of glucocorticoid surprisingly inhibited androgen-induced CAT activity in SC-3 cells, whereas glucocorticoid and androgen acted together synergistically to activate CAT activity in T 47D cells. When SC-3 cells were cotransfected with the expression vector of human glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene, inhibition with glucocorticoid of androgen-enhanced CAT activity was abolished. These results would suggest that SC-3 cells contain functionally abnormal GR.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 1991 May
PMID:Functional abnormality of glucocorticoid receptor in Shionogi carcinoma 115 cells as evidenced by gene transfer experiments. 164 88

The effect of glucocorticoid treatment of DDT1 MF-2 smooth muscle cells on the signaling via two adenosine receptors with opposing actions on cAMP generation was examined. Treatment with dexamethasone caused a dose- and time-dependent increase in the number of adenosine A1 receptors but did not affect the KD or the proportions of receptors in high and low affinity states. The EC50 was 1 nM dexamethasone, and maximal response was achieved after 24 hr. The number of receptors was increased by approximately 50%. Other steroid hormones, including aldosterone, progesterone, testosterone, and estrogen, were much less effective, and addition of the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU 486 or the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide prevented the up-regulation, showing that the effect was mediated via a glucocorticoid receptor-specific mechanism that involves protein synthesis. In dexamethasone-treated cells the A1 receptor agonist (-)-N6-phenylisopropyladenosine [(R)-PIA] was 3 times more potent as an inhibitor of cAMP formation induced by isoprenaline than in untreated cells. ADP ribosylation of inhibitory GTP-binding proteins by pertussis toxin completely prevented (R)-PIA from inhibiting cAMP accumulation. A further analysis of the different GTP-binding proteins, including the three Gi subtypes (Gi1, Gi2, and Gi3), revealed no quantitative or qualitative change after dexamethasone treatment. In addition, the adenosine A2 receptors were down-regulated, as indicated by the fact that the ability of the A2 receptor agonist 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine to increase cAMP formation was decreased by 20-30% in dexamethasone-treated cells. In summary, we have shown that A1 and A2 receptors on the same cell are differentially regulated by glucocorticoids and that this has functional importance in the regulation of cAMP accumulation.
Mol Pharmacol 1991 Aug
PMID:Glucocorticoid receptor activation leads to up-regulation of adenosine A1 receptors and down-regulation of adenosine A2 responses in DDT1 MF-2 smooth muscle cells. 165 51

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is an important hypothalamic regulator of feeding behavior. In this study we have investigated the regulation of the expression of preproNPY mRNA in male obese and lean Zucker rats by in situ hybridization. These animals represent a model of genetic obesity with hyperphagia, hyperinsulinemia and altered endocrine functions. Obese Zucker rats, treated for 12 days with 0.9% saline, had about 210% higher level of basal preproNPY mRNA expression in the arcuate nucleus when compared to their lean littermate controls. Repeated administrations of 8-hydroxy-dipropylaminotetralin (8-OH-DPAT), a serotonergic 5-HT1A agonist, or mifepristone, a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, did not modify the basal expression of preproNPY mRNA in the Zucker phenotypes. The 8-OH-DPAT treatment significantly reduced hyperinsulinemia in obese Zucker rats without changing plasma glucose levels. The mifepristone treatment significantly increased plasma corticosterone levels in lean animals, but not in obese animals. The present study demonstrates enhanced expression of preproNPY mRNA in the arcuate nucleus in obese Zucker rats suggesting an involvement of NPY in the pathophysiology of the hyperphagic syndrome and genetically determined obesity in Zucker rats. Neither the antagonism of glucocorticoid receptors by mifepristone, nor repeated treatment with 8-OH-DPAT resulting in reduced insulin levels in obese Zucker rats, modified the basal expression of preproNPY mRNA in the arcuate nucleus.
Brain Res Mol Brain Res 1991 Jun
PMID:Effects of repeated administration of mifepristone and 8-OH-DPAT on expression of preproneuropeptide Y mRNA in the arcuate nucleus of obese Zucker rats. 165 93

The mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter is positively regulated by glucocorticoid hormone via binding of glucocorticoid receptor to a specific response element. Upon addition of hormone, a nucleosome containing the glucocorticoid response element is removed or structurally altered, suggesting that the nucleosome interferes with transcription. Accordingly, inhibition of chromatin assembly should relieve the repression and result in an increased constitutive activity. We have tested this hypothesis by injecting nonspecific competitor DNA into Xenopus laevis oocytes to titrate endogenous histones. The coinjection of competitor DNA altered chromatin structure: nucleosomal ladders produced by micrococcal nuclease were disrupted, and the unique helical setting of the MMTV promoter in a nucleosome was lost, as shown by in situ DNase I footprinting. Basal MMTV transcription was drastically increased by competitor DNA, whereas a coinjected, constitutively active adenovirus 2 major late promoter was not stimulated. These results show that the uninduced MMTV promoter is under negative control and provide direct support for the theory that the nucleosomal organization maintains the repression of this promoter in its uninduced state.
Mol Cell Biol 1991 Oct
PMID:Inhibition of chromatin assembly in Xenopus oocytes correlates with derepression of the mouse mammary tumor virus promoter. 165 27

The thermolabile glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in fibroblasts from a patient with familial glucocorticoid resistance (FGR) was characterized by solution hybridization, Northern blot analysis and Western immunoblotting using an hGR and cRNA probe and a GR specific monoclonal antibody. Specific DNA binding was measured by binding of cytosolic GR to mouse mammary tumour virus (MMTV) DNA. Northern blot analysis of total cellular RNA isolated from the fibroblasts showed hybridization of the hGR probe to 7.0 and 6.1 kb RNA species. Basal expression of hGR mRNA was 1.8 times higher in fibroblasts derived from the patient compared to control fibroblasts as assayed by solution hybridization. Even though nonsignificant, dexamethasone treatment maximally caused at 60% down-regulation of GR mRNA in normal fibroblasts after 12 h but only a 40% down-regulation in fibroblasts from the patient. In both cases, the initial mRNA values were restored after 72 h. No difference in GR mRNA stability was observed between fibroblasts from the patient and from controls. The induction of the glucocorticoid-regulated gene metallothionein IIA (MTIIA) by dexamethasone and cadmium sulphate was studied at different temperatures using a cRNA probe for human MTIIA. At elevated temperatures, cadmium sulphate but not dexamethasone increased MTIIA mRNA levels approximately three-fold in fibroblasts from the patient, whereas in normal fibroblasts regardless of temperature both cadmium sulphate and dexamethasone increased MTIIA mRNA levels approximately three- and two-fold, respectively. Cytosolic GR from FGR-fibroblasts showed an increased specific binding to MMTV DNA at 4 degrees C. These data support our previous findings of a thermolabile GR, probably due to a defect intrinsic to the GR protein, in this patient with primary cortisol resistance and indicate a compensatory mechanism at the transcriptional level of GR expression. The data also indicate a receptor defect affecting specific DNA binding in vitro.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 1991 Nov
PMID:Regulation of glucocorticoid receptor expression in cultured fibroblasts from a patient with familial glucocorticoid resistance. 165 67

Aging is associated with a progressive dysfunctioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis. We have studied the response of the HPA axis to stress and a hormonal (ovine corticotropin releasing factor (o-CRF) challenge in young (1.5-2 years) and aged (greater than 11 years) dogs. Compared to the young dogs, the aged animals displayed an increased basal concentration of both ACTH and cortisol. In addition, in response to an o-CRF challenge (1 microgram/kg i.v.) or an electric footshock (1 mA, alternatively on/off for 2 s) or immobilization (45 min) stress, the aged dogs showed significantly larger increments in ACTH and cortisol. Following the challenge test, the young and aged dogs reached their respective basal hormone levels at the same time, except for the o-CRF test. In the latter case, in contrast to the young controls, the aged dogs still showed an increased plasma cortisol level compared to the pre-challenge basal hormone concentration. Concerning the effect of aging on the brain and hypophyseal corticosteroid receptors, a selective decline (minus 50-75%) in mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) was observed in all measured brain regions (dorsal and ventral hippocampus, septum, hypothalamus) and anterior pituitary, whereas no change was found in brain glucocorticoid receptor (GR) number. The GR level in the anterior pituitary was even increased by 70%. In light of the role that MR and GR seem to play in the regulation of the HPA axis, it is concluded that the diminished MR number in the aged dog brain may underly the increased basal hormone levels and the elevated responsiveness of the HPA axis in these animals. The observation that the stress-induced elevations of cortisol and ACTH were not prolonged at senescence suggests that the GR-mediated negative feedback action of glucocorticoids is not altered, which is in line with the unchanged brain GR numbers in the aged dogs.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 1991
PMID:Age-related changes in the dog hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system: neuroendocrine activity and corticosteroid receptors. 165 83


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