Allosteric Pathways in the PPARγ-RXRα nuclear receptor complex

Sci Rep. 2016 Jan 29:6:19940. doi: 10.1038/srep19940.

Abstract

Understanding the nature of allostery in DNA-nuclear receptor (NR) complexes is of fundamental importance for drug development since NRs regulate the transcription of a myriad of genes in humans and other metazoans. Here, we investigate allostery in the peroxisome proliferator-activated/retinoid X receptor heterodimer. This important NR complex is a target for antidiabetic drugs since it binds to DNA and functions as a transcription factor essential for insulin sensitization and lipid metabolism. We find evidence of interdependent motions of Ω-loops and PPARγ-DNA binding domain with contacts susceptible to conformational changes and mutations, critical for regulating transcriptional functions in response to sequence-dependent DNA dynamics. Statistical network analysis of the correlated motions, observed in molecular dynamics simulations, shows preferential allosteric pathways with convergence centers comprised of polar amino acid residues. These findings are particularly relevant for the design of allosteric modulators of ligand-dependent transcription factors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Allosteric Regulation
  • Allosteric Site
  • DNA / chemistry
  • DNA / metabolism
  • Models, Molecular*
  • Multiprotein Complexes / chemistry
  • Multiprotein Complexes / metabolism
  • PPAR gamma / chemistry*
  • PPAR gamma / metabolism
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Conformation*
  • Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs
  • Protein Multimerization
  • Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Retinoid X Receptor alpha / chemistry*
  • Retinoid X Receptor alpha / metabolism

Substances

  • Multiprotein Complexes
  • PPAR gamma
  • Retinoid X Receptor alpha
  • DNA