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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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Watakabe A. In situ hybridization analyses of claustrum-enriched genes in marmosets. J Comp Neurol 2016; 525:1442-1458. [PMID: 27098836 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2015] [Revised: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The claustrum/endopiriform nucleus is a unique structure that sits between the striatum and the cerebral cortex. Recent genome-wide mapping of gene expression in mice identified various genes concentrated in this structure, suggesting a requirement for a special set of genes for its function. In situ hybridization histochemistry was performed for such "claustrum-enriched" genes in the marmoset brain. In marmosets, nurr1 and netrinG2 genes exhibited highly concentrated expression in the claustrum and endopiriform nucleus, as well as in a subpopulation of layer 6 neurons across the entire cortex, consistent with their expression patterns as described in macaques. Cux2 showed enriched expression in the upper layers (layers 2-4) and the claustrum/endopiriform nucleus. GNG2 was expressed strongly in the claustrum/endopiriform nucleus, but was abundant across cortical areas in a ventral high-dorsal low gradient. Latexin was detected in the claustrum and dorsal endopiriform nucleus, but not in cortical regions. GNB4 and Tmem163 genes were both concentrated in the claustrum/endopiriform nucleus, as reported in mice, but their cortical expression in the marmoset differed from the mouse pattern. Thus, the gene set required for the claustrum appears to be broadly conserved across species, despite various differences that suggest species-specific differentiation of brain architecture. J. Comp. Neurol. 525:1442-1458, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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