title: Nuclear import and export signals control the subcellular localization of Nurr1 protein in response to oxidative stress.
abstract: Orphan receptor Nurr1 participates in the acquisition and maintenance of the dopaminergic cell phenotype, modulation of inflammation, and cytoprotection, but little is known about its regulation. In this study, we report that Nurr1 contains a bipartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) within its DNA binding domain and two leucine-rich nuclear export signals (NES) in its ligand binding domain. Together, these signals regulate Nurr1 shuttling in and out of the nucleus. Immunofluorescence and immunoblot analysis revealed that Nurr1 is mostly nuclear. A Nurr1 mutant lacking the NLS failed to enter the nucleus. The Nurr1 NLS sequence, when fused to green fluorescent protein, led to nuclear accumulation of this chimeric protein, indicating that this sequence was sufficient to direct nuclear localization of Nurr1. Furthermore, two NES were characterized in the ligand binding domain, whose deletion caused Nurr1 to accumulate predominantly in the nucleus. The Nurr1 NES was sensitive to CRM1 and could function as an independent export signal when fused to green fluorescent protein. Sodium arsenite, an agent that induces oxidative stress, promoted nuclear export of ectopically expressed Nurr1 in HEK293T cells, and the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine rescued from this effect. Similarly, in dopaminergic MN9D cells, arsenite induced the export of endogenous Nurr1, resulting in the loss of expression of Nurr1-dependent genes. This study illustrates that Nurr1 shuttling between the cytosol and nucleus is controlled by specific nuclear import and export signals and that oxidative stress can unbalance the distribution of Nurr1 to favor its cytosolic accumulation.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ángel Juan
authors.initials: ÁJ
authors.lastname: García-Yagüe
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rada
authors.forename: Ana I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Rojo
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lastres-Becker
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cuadrado
mesh_terms: D021581:Active Transport, Cell Nucleus; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D018053:Arsenites / Q000494:pharmacology; D001692:Biological Transport; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D008954:Models, Biological; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019913:Nuclear Localization Signals / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D057126:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D017670:Sodium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018053:Arsenites; C539882:NR4A2 protein, human; D019913:Nuclear Localization Signals; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D057126:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 2; D017670:Sodium Compounds; C017947:sodium arsenite