In vitro regulation of reporter gene transcription by the androgen receptor AF1 domain

Therapeutic Strategies to Target the Androgen Receptor

The androgen receptor (AR) plays a key role in the maintenance of muscle and bone and the support of male sexual-related functions, as well as in the progression of prostate cancer. Accordingly, AR-targeted therapies have been developed for the treatment of related human diseases and conditions. AR agonists are an important class of drugs in the treatment of bone loss and muscle atrophy. AR antagonists have also been developed for the treatment of prostate cancer, including metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Additionally, selective AR degraders (SARDs) have been reported. More recently, heterobifunctional degrader molecules of AR have been developed, and four such compounds are now in clinical development for the treatment of human prostate cancer. This review attempts to summarize the different types of compounds designed to target AR and the current frontiers of research on this important therapeutic target.

T7 RNA polymerase functions in vitro without clustering

Many nucleic acid polymerases function in clusters known as factories. We investigate whether the RNA polymerase (RNAP) of phage T7 also clusters when active. Using ‘pulldowns’ and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy we find that elongation complexes do not interact in vitro with a K_d<1 µM. Chromosome conformation capture also reveals that genes located 100 kb apart on the E. coli chromosome do not associate more frequently when transcribed by T7 RNAP. We conclude that if clustering does occur in vivo, it must be driven by weak interactions, or mediated by a phage-encoded protein.