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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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Shi H, Song J, Yang X. Zhichan decoction induces differentiation of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease rats after neural stem cell transplantation. Neural Regen Res 2014; 9:931-6. [PMID: 25206914 PMCID: PMC4146218 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.133135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The goal of this study was to increase the dopamine content and reduce dopaminergic metabolites in the brain of Parkinson's disease rats. Using high-performance liquid chromatography, we found that dopamine and dopaminergic metabolite (dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid) content in the midbrain of Parkinson's disease rats was increased after neural stem cell transplantation + Zhichan decoction, compared with neural stem cell transplantation alone. Our genetic algorithm results show that dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid levels achieve global optimization. Neural stem cell transplantation + Zhichan decoction increased dihydroxyphenylacetic acid levels up to 10-fold, while transplantation alone resulted in a 3-fold increment. Homovanillic acid levels showed no apparent change. Our experimental findings show that after neural stem cell transplantation in Parkinson's disease rats, Zhichan decoction can promote differentiation of neural stem cells into dopaminergic neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huifen Shi
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Song
- Department of Encephalopathy, Liu'an Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Liu'an, Anhui Province, China
| | - Xuming Yang
- College of Acupuncture and Massage, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
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