title: Dimerization of mammalian progesterone receptors occurs in the absence of DNA and is related to the release of the 90-kDa heat shock protein.
abstract: In this study we have demonstrated that dimerization of mammalian progesterone receptors (PR) occurs in the absence of DNA. A specific immune coisolation assay was performed on extracts of T-47D human breast cancer cells with a monoclonal antibody specific for the full-length B form of progesterone receptor (PR-B). This resulted in coisolation of significant amounts of truncated form-A receptors (PR-A), indicating the presence of stable PR-A.PR-B dimers in solution. A positive correlation was observed between the ability of different receptor forms to oligomerize in solution and their ability to bind to specific DNA sequences. The ability to form stable PR-A.PR-B oligomers in the absence of DNA was also found to correlate with release of 90-kDa heat shock protein (hsp90) from the unactivated PR complex. These results support the hypothesis that dimerization in the absence of DNA is an important mechanism controlling receptor DNA-binding function and that hsp90 release may be a key step regulating dimerization. This suggests that hsp90 may function to repress DNA-binding activity indirectly by blocking receptor dimerization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: DeMarzo
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Onate
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Edwards
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D001943:Breast Neoplasms; D002460:Cell Line; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone