辅调节因子在核受体基因表达调控中的作用

核受体 ( nuclear receptor)在增强或抑制基因转录时 ,需借助于诸多辅调节因子的协同作用 ,使调节更为精细、有效及特异 .辅调节因子 ( coregulator)可区分为辅激活因子 ( coactivator)和辅抑制因子 ( corepressor)两大类 ,均具有多种功能各异的蛋白质因子 ,分别汇聚于核受体上构成不同复合体 .它们的主要作用机理是 :( 1 )促使核小体中的组蛋白乙酰基化 ,导致与 DNA的结合松散 ;或脱乙酰基 ,而使组蛋白与 DNA的结合回复紧密状态 ,从而创造一个有利于转录或封闭转录的局部环境 ;( 2 )作用于通用转录因子及 RNA聚合酶 ,以激活转录或抑制转录 .     

Regulation of hormone-induced histone hyperacetylation and gene activation via acetylation of an acetylase.

Nuclear receptors have been postulated to regulate gene expression via their association with histone acetylase (HAT) or deacetylase complexes. We report that hormone induces dramatic hyperacetylation at endogenous target genes through the HAT activity of p300/CBP. Unexpectedly, this hyperacetylation is transient and coincides with attenuation of hormone-induced gene activation. In exploring the underlying mechanism, we found that the acetylase ACTR can be acetylated by p300/CBP. The acetylation neutralizes the positive charges of two lysine residues adjacent to the core LXXLL motif and disrupts the association of HAT coactivator complexes with promoter-bound estrogen receptors. These results provide strong in vivo evidence that histone acetylation plays a key role in hormone-induced gene activation and define cofactor acetylation as a novel regulatory mechanism in hormonal signaling.     

Proteomic analysis of steady-state nuclear hormone receptor coactivator complexes

We report our initial efforts in the analysis of endogenous nuclear receptor coactivator complexes as a research bridging strand of the Nuclear Receptor Signaling Atlas (NURSA) (www.NURSA.org). A proteomic approach is used to systematically isolate a variety of coactivator complexes using HeLa cells as a model cell line and to identify the coactivator-associated proteins with mass spectrometry. We have isolated and identified seven coactivator complexes including the p160 steroid receptor coactivator family, cAMP response element binding protein-binding protein, p300, coactivator of activating protein-1 and estrogen receptors, and E6 papillomavirus-associated protein. The newly identified coactivator-associated proteins provide unbiased clues and links for understanding of the endogenous hormone receptor coregulator network and its regulation. We hope that the electronic availability of these data to the general scientific community will facilitate generation and testing of new hypotheses to further our understanding of nuclear receptor signaling and coactivator functions.