title: Crystal structure of the human RXRalpha ligand-binding domain bound to its natural ligand: 9-cis retinoic acid.
abstract: The pleiotropic effects of active retinoids are transduced by their cognate nuclear receptors, retinoid X receptors (RXRs) and retinoic acid receptors (RARs), which act as transcriptional regulators activated by two stereoisomers of retinoic acid (RA): 9-cis RA (9-cRA) and all-trans RA (a-tRA). Among nuclear receptors, RXR occupies a central position and plays a crucial role in many intracellular signalling pathways as a ubiquitous heterodimerization partner with numerous other members of this superfamily. Whereas RARs bind both isomers, RXRs exclusively bind 9-cRA. The crystal structure of the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of human RXRalpha bound to 9-cRA reveals the molecular basis of this ligand selectivity and allows a comparison of both apo and holo forms of the same nuclear receptor. In the crystal, the receptor is monomeric and exhibits a canonical agonist conformation without direct contacts between the ligand and the transactivation helix H12. Comparison with the unliganded RXRalpha LBD structure reveals the molecular mechanisms of ligand-induced conformational changes and allows us to describe at the atomic level how these changes generate the proper protein interface involved in nuclear receptor-coactivator interaction.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS/INSERM/ULP/Collège de France, BP 163-67404 Illkirch Cedex, CU de Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Egea
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mitschler
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rochel
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruff
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chambon
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moras
mesh_terms: D000077556:Alitretinoin; D001059:Apoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D001665:Binding Sites; D003460:Crystallization; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D047488:Retinoid X Receptors; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001059:Apoproteins; D008024:Ligands; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D047488:Retinoid X Receptors; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000077556:Alitretinoin; D014212:Tretinoin