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Xia L, Shen D, Zhang Y, Lu J, Wang M, Wang H, Chen Y, Xue D, Xie D, Li G. Targeting the TR4 nuclear receptor with antagonist bexarotene can suppress the proopiomelanocortin signalling in AtT-20 cells. J Cell Mol Med 2021; 25:2404-2417. [PMID: 33491272 PMCID: PMC7933964 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.16074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug options for the life‐threatening Cushing's disease are limited, and surgical resection or radiation therapy is not invariably effective. Testicular receptor 4 (TR4) has been identified as a novel drug target to treat Cushing's disease. We built the structure model of TR4 and searched the TR4 antagonist candidate via in silico virtual screening. Bexarotene was identified as an antagonist of TR4 that can directly interact with TR4 ligand binding domain (TR4‐LBD) and induces a conformational change in the secondary structure of TR4‐LBD. Bexarotene suppressed AtT‐20 cell growth, proopiomelanocortin (POMC) expression and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) secretion. Mechanism dissection revealed that bexarotene could suppress TR4‐increased POMC expression via promoting the TR4 translocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. This TR4 translocation might then result in reducing the TR4 binding to the TR4 response element (TR4RE) on the 5’ promoter region of POMC. Results from in vivo mouse model also revealed that oral bexarotene administration markedly suppressed ACTH‐secreting tumour growth, adrenal enlargement and the secretion of ACTH and corticosterone in mice with already established tumours. Together, these results suggest that bexarotene may be developed as a potential novel therapeutic drug to better suppress Cushing's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liqun Xia
- Department of Urology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Danyang Shen
- Department of Urology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Youyun Zhang
- Department of Urology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jieyang Lu
- Department of Urology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mingchao Wang
- Department of Urology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Huan Wang
- Department of Urology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuanlei Chen
- Department of Urology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Dingwei Xue
- Department of Urology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Dajiang Xie
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Gonghui Li
- Department of Urology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
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