title: Role of regulatory F-domain in hepatocyte nuclear factor-4alpha ligand specificity.
abstract: The F-domain of rat HNF-4alpha1 has a crucial impact on the ligand binding affinity, ligand specificity and secondary structure of HNF-4alpha. (i) Fluorescent binding assays indicate that wild-type, full-length HNF-4alpha (amino acids 1-455) has high affinity (Kd=0.06-12 nm) for long chain fatty acyl-CoAs (LCFA-CoA) and low affinity (Kd=58-296 nm) for unesterified long chain fatty acids (LCFAs). LCFA-CoA binding was due to close molecular interaction as shown by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from full-length HNF-4alpha tryptophan (FRET donor) to bound cis-parinaroyl-CoA (FRET acceptor), which yielded an intermolecular distance of 33 A, although no FRET to cis-parinaric acid was detected. (ii) Deleting the N-terminal A-D-domains, comprising the AF1 and DNA binding functions, only slightly affected affinities for LCFA-CoAs (Kd=0.9-4 nm) and LCFAs (Kd=93-581 nm). (iii) Further deletion of the F-domain robustly reduced affinities for LCFA-CoA and reversed ligand specificity (i.e. high affinity for LCFAs (Kd=1.5-32 nm) and low affinity for LCFA-CoAs (Kd=54-302 nm)). No FRET from HNF-4alpha-E (amino acids 132-370) tryptophan (FRET donor) to bound cis-parinaroyl-CoA (FRET acceptor) was detected, whereas an intermolecular distance of 28 A was calculated from FRET between HNF-4alpha-E and cis-parinaric acid. (iv) Circular dichroism showed that LCFA-CoA, but not LCFA, altered the secondary structure of HNF-4alpha only when the F-domain was present. (v) cis-Parinaric acid bound to HNF-4alpha with intact F-domain was readily displaceable by S-hexadecyl-CoA, a nonhydrolyzable thioether analogue of LCFA-CoAs. Truncation of the F-domain significantly decreased cis-parinaric acid displacement. Hence, the C-terminal F-domain of HNF-4alpha regulated ligand affinity, ligand specificity, and ligand-induced conformational change of HNF-4alpha. Thus, characteristics of F-domain-truncated mutants may not reflect the properties of full-length HNF-4alpha.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, Texas Veterinary Medical Center, College Station 77843-4467, USA.
authors.forename: Anca D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Petrescu
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hertz
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bar-Tana
authors.forename: Friedhelm
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schroeder
authors.forename: Ann B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Kier
mesh_terms: D000214:Acyl Coenzyme A / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000737:chemistry; D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; D017353:Gene Deletion; D051557:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4; D007700:Kinetics; D008024:Ligands; D009154:Mutation; D019814:Myristic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D019308:Palmitic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D051381:Rats; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013229:Stearic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000214:Acyl Coenzyme A; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D051557:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4; D008024:Ligands; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D013229:Stearic Acids; D014157:Transcription Factors; D019814:Myristic Acid; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D019308:Palmitic Acid; C031183:stearic acid; D014364:Tryptophan; C013641:parinaric acid