Transcription regulation of nuclear receptor PXR: Role of SUMO-1 modification and NDSM in receptor function

Regulation of PXR in drug metabolism: chemical and structural perspectives

INTRODUCTION

Pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a master xenobiotic sensor that transcriptionally controls drug metabolism and disposition pathways. PXR activation by pharmaceutical drugs, natural products, environmental toxins, etc. may decrease drug efficacy and increase drug-drug interactions and drug toxicity, indicating a therapeutic value for PXR antagonists. However, PXR's functions in physiological events, such as intestinal inflammation, indicate that PXR activators may be useful in certain disease contexts.

AREAS COVERED

We review the reported roles of PXR in various physiological and pathological processes including drug metabolism, cancer, inflammation, energy metabolism, and endobiotic homeostasis. We then highlight specific cellular and chemical routes that modulate PXR activity and discuss the functional consequences. Databases searched and inclusive dates: PubMed, 1 January 1980 to 10 January 2024.

EXPERT OPINION

Knowledge of PXR's drug metabolism function has helped drug developers produce small molecules without PXR-mediated metabolic liabilities, and further understanding of PXR's cellular functions may offer drug development opportunities in multiple disease settings.

The Function of Xenobiotic Receptors in Metabolic Diseases

Metabolic diseases are a series of metabolic disorders that include obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. The increased prevalence of metabolic diseases has resulted in higher mortality and mobility rates over the past decades, and this has led to extensive research focusing on the underlying mechanisms. Xenobiotic receptors (XRs) are a series of xenobiotic-sensing nuclear receptors that regulate their downstream target genes expression, thus defending the body from xenobiotic and endotoxin attacks. XR activation is associated with the development of a number of metabolic diseases such as obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, thus suggesting an important role for XRs in modulating metabolic diseases. However, the regulatory mechanism of XRs in the context of metabolic disorders under different nutrient conditions is complex and remains controversial. This review summarizes the effects of XRs on different metabolic components (cholesterol, lipids, glucose, and bile acids) in different tissues during metabolic diseases. As chronic inflammation plays a critical role in the initiation and progression of metabolic diseases, we also discuss the impact of XRs on inflammation to comprehensively recognize the role of XRs in metabolic diseases. This will provide new ideas for treating metabolic diseases by targeting XRs. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This review outlines the current understanding of xenobiotic receptors on nutrient metabolism and inflammation during metabolic diseases. This work also highlights the gaps in this field, which can be used to direct the future investigations on metabolic diseases treatment by targeting xenobiotic receptors.

Phosphorylation-Induced Ubiquitination and Degradation of PXR through CDK2-TRIM21 Axis

Pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily that is activated by a variety of endogenous metabolites or xenobiotics. Its downstream target genes are involved in metabolism, inflammation and processes closely related to cancer. However, the stability regulation of PXR protein resulting from post-translational modification is still largely undefined. In the present study, primary mouse hepatocytes, hepatoma HepG2 cells and HEK 293T cells were used to investigate gene expression and protein interactions. The role of kinases was evaluated by RNA interference and overexpression constructs with or without PXR phosphorylation site mutations. The activity of CYP3A4 and P-gp was determined by enzymatic and substrate accumulation assays. It was found that E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM21 mediates the ubiquitination and degradation of PXR and plays an important role in regulating the activity of PXR. On this basis, PXR phosphorylation-associated kinases were evaluated regarding regulation of the stability of PXR. We found cyclin dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) exclusively phosphorylates PXR at Ser350, promotes its disassociation with Hsp90/DNAJC7, and leads to subsequent TRIM21-mediated PXR ubiquitination and degradation. As well-known CDK inhibitors, dinaciclib and kenpaullone stabilize PXR and result in elevated expression and activity of PXR-targeted DMETs, including carboxylesterases, CYP3A4 and P-gp. The suppressed degradation of PXR by CDK2 inhibitors denotes dinaciclib-induced promotion of PXR-targeted genes. The findings of CDK2-mediated PXR degradation indicate a wide range of potential drug–drug interactions during clinical cancer therapy using CDK inhibitors and imply an alternative direction for the development of novel PXR antagonists.

The Interface between Cell Signaling Pathways and Pregnane X Receptor

Highly expressed in the enterohepatic system, pregnane X receptor (PXR, NR1I2) is a well-characterized nuclear receptor (NR) that regulates the expression of genes in the liver and intestines that encode key drug metabolizing enzymes and drug transporter proteins in mammals. The net effect of PXR activation is to increase metabolism and clear drugs and xenobiotics from the body, producing a protective effect and mediating clinically significant drug interaction in patients on combination therapy. The complete understanding of PXR biology is thus important for the development of safe and effective therapeutic strategies. Furthermore, PXR activation is now known to specifically transrepress the inflammatory- and nutrient-signaling pathways of gene expression, thereby providing a mechanism for linking these signaling pathways together with enzymatic drug biotransformation pathways in the liver and intestines. Recent research efforts highlight numerous post-translational modifications (PTMs) which significantly influence the biological function of PXR. However, this thrust of research is still in its infancy. In the context of gene-environment interactions, we present a review of the recent literature that implicates PXR PTMs in regulating its clinically relevant biology. We also provide a discussion of how these PTMs likely interface with each other to respond to extracellular cues to appropriately modify PXR activity.

Regulation of PXR Function by Coactivator and Corepressor Proteins: Ligand Binding Is Just the Beginning

The pregnane X receptor (PXR, NR1I2) is a nuclear receptor which exerts its regulatory function by heterodimerization with the retinoid-X-receptor α (RXRα, NR2B1) and binding to the promoter and enhancer regions of diverse target genes. PXR is involved in the regulation of drug metabolism and excretion, metabolic and immunological functions and cancer pathogenesis. PXR activity is strongly regulated by the association with coactivator and corepressor proteins. Coactivator proteins exhibit histone acetyltransferase or histone methyltransferase activity or associate with proteins having one of these activities, thus promoting chromatin decondensation and activation of the gene expression. On the contrary, corepressor proteins promote histone deacetylation and therefore favor chromatin condensation and repression of the gene expression. Several studies pointed to clear cell- and ligand-specific differences in the activation of PXR. In this article, we will review the critical role of coactivator and corepressor proteins as molecular determinants of the specificity of PXR-mediated effects. As already known for other nuclear receptors, understanding the complex mechanism of PXR activation in each cell type and under particular physiological and pathophysiological conditions may lead to the development of selective modulators with therapeutic potential.

Not So Slim Anymore-Evidence for the Role of SUMO in the Regulation of Lipid Metabolism

One of the basic building blocks of all life forms are lipids—biomolecules that dissolve in nonpolar organic solvents but not in water. Lipids have numerous structural, metabolic, and regulative functions in health and disease; thus, complex networks of enzymes coordinate the different compositions and functions of lipids with the physiology of the organism. One type of control on the activity of those enzymes is the conjugation of the Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO) that in recent years has been identified as a critical regulator of many biological processes. In this review, I summarize the current knowledge about the role of SUMO in the regulation of lipid metabolism. In particular, I discuss (i) the role of SUMO in lipid metabolism of fungi and invertebrates; (ii) the function of SUMO as a regulator of lipid metabolism in mammals with emphasis on the two most well-characterized cases of SUMO regulation of lipid homeostasis. These include the effect of SUMO on the activity of two groups of master regulators of lipid metabolism—the Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein (SERBP) proteins and the family of nuclear receptors—and (iii) the role of SUMO as a regulator of lipid metabolism in arteriosclerosis, nonalcoholic fatty liver, cholestasis, and other lipid-related human diseases.

PXR: a center of transcriptional regulation in cancer

Pregnane X receptor (PXR, NR1I2) is a prototypical member of the nuclear receptor superfamily. PXR can be activated by both endobiotics and xenobiotics. As a key xenobiotic receptor, the cellular function of PXR is mostly exerted by its binding to the regulatory gene sequences in a ligand-dependent manner. Classical downstream target genes of PXR participate in xenobiotic responses, such as detoxification, metabolism and inflammation. Emerging evidence also implicates PXR signaling in the processes of apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, proliferation, angiogenesis and oxidative stress, which are closely related to cancer. Here, we discussed, in addition to the characterization of PXR per se, the biological function and regulatory mechanism of PXR signaling in cancer, and its potential for the targeted prevention and therapeutics.

A comprehensive evaluation of anti-diabetic drugs on nuclear receptor PXR platform

Pregnane & Xenobiotic Receptor (PXR), one of the members of nuclear receptor superfamily, acts as a 'master-regulator' of drug metabolism and disposition machinery (DMD). Activation of PXR enables detoxification and elimination of toxic xenobiotics/endobiotics, and defends our body against chemical insults. On the contrary, PXR activation also imposes a serious concern for drug-drug interactions (DDIs). Such DDIs could either decrease the efficacy or lead to accumulation of co-administered drugs at toxic level. Therefore, it is desirable that during drug development process the small drug molecules are screened on PXR-platform prior to their clinical trial and prevent late stage failures. In view of this, we have selected a group of anti-diabetic drug molecules to examine if the success and potential failure of small molecule modulators can be pre-assessed and judiciously correlated on PXR platform. For this purpose, we have examined the PXR activation potential of the selected anti-diabetic drugs. Subsequent to screening of these anti-diabetic drugs, we elaborated the study further with rosiglitazone and pioglitazone (thiazolidinediones, TZDs) which are oral anti-diabetic formulations and have been in controversy owing to their association with cardiotoxicity and bladder cancer respectively. Our study revealed that some of the selected anti-diabetic drugs possess PXR activation potential, implying that these can up-regulate the expression of CYP3A4, UGT1A1, MDR1 and thereby can be predicted to inflict undesirable consequences.

Role of pregnane X-receptor in regulating bacterial translocation in chronic liver diseases

Bacterial translocation (BT) has been impeccably implicated as a driving factor in the pathogenesis of a spectrum of chronic liver diseases (CLD). Scientific evidence accumulated over the last four decades has implied that the disease pathologies in CLD and BT are connected as a loop in the gut-liver axis and exacerbate each other. Pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor and nuclear receptor that is expressed ubiquitously along the gut-liver-axis. PXR has been intricately associated with the regulation of various mechanisms attributed in causing BT. The importance of PXR as the mechanistic linker molecule in the gut-liver axis and its role in regulating bacterial interactions with the host in CLD has not been explored. PubMed was used to perform an extensive literature search using the keywords PXR and bacterial translocation, PXR and chronic liver disease including cirrhosis. In an adequate expression state, PXR acts as a sensor for bile acid dysregulation and bacterial derived metabolites, and in response shapes the immune profile beneficial to the host. Activation of PXR could be therapeutic in CLD as it counter-regulates endotoxin mediated inflammation and maintains the integrity of intestinal epithelium. This review mainly focuses PXR function and its regulation in BT in the context of chronic liver diseases.

The Roles of SUMO in Metabolic Regulation

Protein modification with the small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) can affect protein function, enzyme activity, protein-protein interactions, protein stability, protein targeting and cellular localization. SUMO influences the function and regulation of metabolic enzymes within pathways, and in some cases targets entire metabolic pathways by affecting the activity of transcription factors or by facilitating the translocation of entire metabolic pathways to subcellular compartments. SUMO modification is also a key component of nutrient- and metabolic-sensing mechanisms that regulate cellular metabolism. In addition to its established roles in maintaining metabolic homeostasis, there is increasing evidence that SUMO is a key factor in facilitating cellular stress responses through the regulation and/or adaptation of the most fundamental metabolic processes, including energy and nucleotide metabolism. This review focuses on the role of SUMO in cellular metabolism and metabolic disease.

Functions of pregnane X receptor in self-detoxification

Pregnane X receptor (PXR, NR1I2), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, is a crucial regulator of nutrient metabolism and metabolic detoxification such as metabolic syndrome, xenobiotic metabolism, inflammatory responses, glucose, cholesterol and lipid metabolism, and endocrine homeostasis. Notably, much experimental and clinical evidence show that PXR senses xenobiotics and triggers the detoxification response to prevent diseases such as diabetes, obesity, intestinal inflammatory diseases and liver fibrosis. In this review we summarize recent advances on remarkable metabolic and regulatory versatility of PXR, and we emphasizes its role and potential implication as an effective modulator of self-detoxification in animals and humans.

The regulation of human hepatic drug transporter expression by activation of xenobiotic-sensing nuclear receptors

INTRODUCTION

If a drug is found to be an inducer of hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes via activation of nuclear receptors such as pregnane X receptor (PXR) or constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), it is likely that drug transporters regulated through these same receptors will be induced as well. This review highlights what is currently known about the molecular mechanisms that regulate transporter expression and where the research is directed. Areas covered: This review is focused on publications that describe the role of activated hepatic nuclear receptors in the subsequent regulation of drug uptake and/or efflux transporters following exposure to xenobiotics. Expert opinion: Many of the published studies on the role of nuclear receptors in the regulation of drug transporters involve non-human test animals. But due to species response differences, these associations are not always applicable to humans. For this reason, some relevant human in vitro models have been developed, such as primary or cryopreserved human hepatocytes, human liver slices, or HepG2 or HuH7 cell lines transiently or stably transfected with PXR expression and reporter constructs as well as in vivo models such as PXR-humanized mice. These human-relevant test systems will continue to be developed and applied for the testing of investigational drugs.

A comprehensive analysis and functional characterization of naturally occurring non-synonymous variants of nuclear receptor PXR

Pregnane & Xenobiotic Receptor (PXR) acts as a xenosensing transcriptional regulator of many drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters of the 'detoxification machinery' that coordinate in elimination of xenobiotics and endobiotics from the cellular milieu. It is an accepted view that some individuals or specific populations display considerable differences in their ability to metabolize different drugs, dietary constituents, herbals etc. In this context we speculated that polymorphisms in PXR gene might contribute to variability in cytochrome P450 (CYP450) metabolizing enzymes of phase I, drug metabolizing components of phase II and efflux components of the detoxification machinery. Therefore, in this study, we have undertaken a comprehensive functional analysis of seventeen naturally occurring non-synonymous variants of human PXR. When compared, we observed that some of the PXR SNP variants exhibit distinct functional and dynamic responses on parameters which included transcriptional function, sub-cellular localization, mitotic chromatin binding, DNA-binding properties and other molecular interactions. One of the unique SNP located within the DNA-binding domain of PXR was found to be functionally null and distinct on other parameters. Similarly, some of the non-synonymous SNPs in PXR imparted reduced transactivation function as compared to wild type PXR. Interestingly, PXR is reported to be a mitotic chromatin binding protein and such an association has been correlated to an emerging concept of 'transcription memory' and altered transcription output. In view of the observations made herein our data suggest that some of the natural PXR variants may have adverse physiological consequences owing to its influence on the expression levels and functional output of drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters. The present study is expected to explain not only the observed inter-individual responses to different drugs but may also highlight the mechanistic details and importance of PXR in drug clearance, drug-drug interactions and diverse metabolic disorders. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Xenobiotic nuclear receptors: New Tricks for An Old Dog, edited by Dr. Wen Xie.

A SUMO-acetyl switch in PXR biology

Post-translational modification (PTM) of nuclear receptor superfamily members regulates various aspects of their biology to include sub-cellular localization, the repertoire of protein-binding partners, as well as their stability and mode of degradation. The nuclear receptor pregnane X receptor (PXR, NR1I2) is a master-regulator of the drug-inducible gene expression in liver and intestine. The PXR-mediated gene activation program is primarily recognized to increase drug metabolism, drug transport, and drug efflux pathways in these tissues. The activation of PXR also has important implications in significant human diseases including inflammatory bowel disease and cancer. Our recent investigations reveal that PXR is modified by multiple PTMs to include phosphorylation, SUMOylation, and ubiquitination. Using both primary cultures of hepatocytes and cell-based assays, we show here that PXR is modified through acetylation on lysine residues. Further, we show that increased acetylation of PXR stimulates its increased SUMO-modification to support active transcriptional suppression. Pharmacologic inhibition of lysine de-acetylation using trichostatin A (TSA) alters the sub-cellular localization of PXR in cultured hepatocytes, and also has a profound impact upon PXR transactivation capacity. Both the acetylation and SUMOylation status of the PXR protein is affected by its ability to associate with the lysine de-acetylating enzyme histone de-acetylase (HDAC)3 in a complex with silencing mediator of retinoic acid and thyroid hormone receptor (SMRT). Taken together, our data support a model in which a SUMO-acetyl 'switch' occurs such that acetylation of PXR likely stimulates SUMO-modification of PXR to promote the active repression of PXR-target gene expression. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Xenobiotic nuclear receptors: New Tricks for An Old Dog, edited by Dr. Wen Xie.