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Bruning JM, Wang Y, Oltrabella F, Tian B, Kholodar SA, Liu H, Bhattacharya P, Guo S, Holton JM, Fletterick RJ, Jacobson MP, England PM. Covalent Modification and Regulation of the Nuclear Receptor Nurr1 by a Dopamine Metabolite. Cell Chem Biol 2019; 26:674-685.e6. [PMID: 30853418 PMCID: PMC7185887 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2019.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Nurr1, a nuclear receptor essential for the development, maintenance, and survival of midbrain dopaminergic neurons, is a potential therapeutic target for Parkinson's disease, a neurological disorder characterized by the degeneration of these same neurons. Efforts to identify Nurr1 agonists have been hampered by the recognition that it lacks several classic regulatory elements of nuclear receptor function, including the canonical ligand-binding pocket. Here we report that the dopamine metabolite 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI) binds directly to and modulates the activity of Nurr1. Using biophysical assays and X-ray crystallography, we show that DHI binds to the ligand-binding domain within a non-canonical pocket, forming a covalent adduct with Cys566. In cultured cells and zebrafish, DHI stimulates Nurr1 activity, including the transcription of target genes underlying dopamine homeostasis. These findings suggest avenues for developing synthetic Nurr1 ligands to ameliorate the symptoms and progression of Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Bruning
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Yan Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Francesca Oltrabella
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Boxue Tian
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Svetlana A Kholodar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Harrison Liu
- Bioengineering Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Paulomi Bhattacharya
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Su Guo
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - James M Holton
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Robert J Fletterick
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Matthew P Jacobson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Pamela M England
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
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