Cited by 36Toxic Organic Pollutants ImpactHeat shock proteins researchPharmacogenetics and Drug Metabolism

Transitional States in Ligand-Dependent Transformation of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor into Its DNA-Binding Form

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Soshilov, Anatoly A., Motta, Stefano, Bonati, Laura, Denison, Michael S.·2020·International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Abstract

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates the biological and toxicological effects of an AhR lacking the entire PASB structurally diverse chemicals, including halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons. Ligand-dependent transformation of the AhR into its DNA binding form involves a ligand-dependent conformational change, heat shock protein 90 (hsp90), dissociation from the AhR complex and AhR dimerization with the AhR nuclear translocator (ARNT) protein. The mechanism of AhR transformation was examined using mutational approaches and stabilization of the AhR:hsp90 complex with sodium molybdate. Insertion of a single mutation (F281A) in the hsp90-binding region of the AhR resulted in its constitutive (ligand-independent) transformation/DNA binding in vitro. Mutations of AhR residues within the Arg-Cys-rich region (R212A, R217A, R219A) and Asp371 (D371A) impaired AhR transformation without a significant effect on ligand binding. Stabilization of AhR:hsp90 binding with sodium molybdate decreased transformation/DNA binding of the wild type AhR but had no effect on constitutively active AhR mutants. Interestingly, transformation of the AhR in the presence of molybdate allowed detection of an intermediate transformation ternary complex containing hsp90, AhR, and ARNT. These results are consistent with a stepwise transformation mechanism in which binding of ARNT to the liganded AhR:hsp90 complex results in a progressive displacement of hsp90 and conversion of the AhR into its high affinity DNA binding form. The available molecular insights into the signaling mechanism of other Per-ARNT-Sim (PAS) domains and structural information on hsp90 association with other client proteins are consistent with the proposed transformation mechanism of the AhR.

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  • A transitional state may exist where ARNT can directly engage with AHR while AHR is still bound to HSP90 and XAP2.

    “suggesting the possible existence of a transitional state where ARNT can directly engage with AHR while it is still bound to HSP90 and XAP248.”

    From Structural basis for the ligand-dependent activation of heterodimeric AHR-ARNT complex (2025) · cites this paper as [48]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) proposes a transitional hsp90:AhR:ARNT complex in which ARNT binds AhR before hsp90 is fully released. It does not establish that XAP2 remains bound in that state, so the XAP2 portion of the claim is unsupported. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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  1. [34]Denison M.S. Phelps C.L. Dehoog J. Kim H.J. Bank P.A. Yao E.F. Species Variation in Ah Receptor Transformation and DNA Binding Banbury Report 35: Biological Basis for Risk Assessment of Dioxins and Related Compounds Gallo M.A. Scheuplein R.J. van der Heihjden K.A. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA 1991 337 349

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Authors
Soshilov, A. A., Motta, S., Bonati, L., & Denison, M. S.
Affiliations
  • University of California, Davis (US)
  • University of Milano-Bicocca (IT)
Corresponding author
Denison, Michael S.
Venue
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2020-04-02
Volume
21
Issue
7
Pages
2474
ISSN
1422-0067 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3014759680
Cited by
36
References
64
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 2
FWCI
2.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • International Journal of Molecular Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • BOA (University of Milano-Bicocca) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
National Institutes of Health (R01-ES007685)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Heat shock proteins research
  • Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmacology › Pharmacogenetics and Drug Metabolism
Keywords
aryl hydrocarbon receptor, HSP90, ARNT, PAS domain, conformational change, sodium molybdate, constitutively active mutant, ternary complex, halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, transcription factor activation, heat shock proteins
MeSH terms
Amino Acid Sequence, Cell Transformation, Neoplastic, DNA, DNA-Binding Proteins, Humans, Ligands, Models, Molecular, Molybdenum, Mutation, Protein Binding, Structure-Activity Relationship, Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon, HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins, Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors, Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins, Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs

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