Expression, purification and primary crystallographic study of human androgen receptor in complex with DNA and coactivator motifs

A Multivalent Peptoid Conjugate Modulates Androgen Receptor Transcriptional Activity to Inhibit Therapy-resistant Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancers adapt to androgen receptor (AR) pathway inhibitors and progress to castration resistance due to ongoing AR expression and function. To counter this, we developed a new approach to modulate the AR and inhibit castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) using multivalent peptoid conjugates (MPC) that contain multiple copies of the AR-targeting ligand ethisterone attached to a peptidomimetic scaffold. Here, we investigated the antitumor effects of compound MPC309, a trivalent display of ethisterone conjugated to a peptoid oligomer backbone that binds to the AR with nanomolar affinity. MPC309 exhibited potent antiproliferative effects on various enzalutamide-resistant prostate cancer models, including those with AR splice variants, ligand-binding mutations, and noncanonical AR gene expression programs, as well as mouse prostate organoids harboring defined genetic alterations that mimic lethal human prostate cancer subtypes. MPC309 is taken up by cells through macropinocytosis, an endocytic process more prevalent in cancer cells than in normal ones, thus providing an opportunity to target tumors selectively. MPC309 triggers a distinct AR transcriptome compared with DHT and enzalutamide, a clinically used antiandrogen. Specifically, MPC309 enhances the expression of differentiation genes while reducing the expression of genes needed for cell division and metabolism. Mechanistically, MPC309 increases AR chromatin occupancy and alters AR interactions with coregulatory proteins in a pattern distinct from DHT. In xenograft studies, MPC309 produced significantly greater tumor suppression than enzalutamide. Altogether, MPC309 represents a promising new AR modulator that can combat resistant disease by promoting an AR antiproliferative gene expression program.

Selective targeting of the androgen receptor-DNA binding domain by the novel antiandrogen SBF-1 and inhibition of the growth of prostate cancer cells

Prostate cancers are reliant on androgens for growth and survival. Clinicians and researchers are looking for potent treatments for the resistant forms of prostate cancer; however, a handful of small molecules used in the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer have not shown potent effects owing to the mutations in the AR (Androgen Receptor). We used SBF-1, a well-characterized antitumor agent with potent cytotoxic effects against different kinds of cancers and investigated its effect on human prostate cancer. SBF-1 substantially inhibited the proliferation, induced apoptosis, and caused cell cycle arrest in LNCaP and PC3/AR⁺ prostate cancer cell lines. SBF-1 inhibited the activation of the IGF-1-PNCA pathway, as demonstrated by decreased expression of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and its downstream Bcl-2 protein. Using microscale thermophoresis (MST) and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) assays, we observed a direct binding of SBF-1 to the AR. SBF-1 binds to the AR-DBD (DNA-binding domain) and blocks the transcription of its target gene. SBF-1 demonstrated a potent antitumor effect in vivo; it inhibited AR signaling and suppressed tumor growth in animals. Our study suggests that SBF-1 is an inhibitor of the AR and might be used in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Data on biosynthesis of BPAF glucuronide, enzyme kinetics of BPAF glucuronidation, and molecular modeling

Bisphenol AF (BPAF) is in the body mainly metabolized to the corresponding bisphenol AF glucuronide (BPAF-G). While BPAF-G is not commercially available, enzyme-assisted synthesis of BPAF-G using the human recombinant enzyme UGT2A1, purification of BPAF-G by solid phase extraction and semi-preparative HPLC and chemical characterization of BPAF-G by NMR and LC-MS/MS were performed and are described here. Furthermore, BPAF glucuronidation kinetics with the UGT enzymes that showed the highest glucuronidation activity in previous studies (i.e hepatic UGTs 1A3, 2B7, and 2B17, intestinal UGT 1A10 and UGT 2A1 that is present in airways) was performed and data is presented. Hepatic enzymes exhibited high affinities toward BPAF, while extrahepatic UGTs 2A1 and 1A10 showed the high v_max values (3.3 and 3.0 nmol/min/mg, respectively). To understand molecular interactions of BPA, BPAF and BPAF-G with ligand biding sites of several nuclear receptors, molecular modeling was performed and data on the binding modes of BPAF, BPA, and BPAF-G in the ligand-binding sites of nuclear receptors are presented.

This article is related to “Endocrine activities and adipogenic effects of bisphenol AF and its main metabolite” (Skledar et al., 2019).

Recent developments in antiandrogens and selective androgen receptor modulators

The androgens testosterone and dihydrotestosterone play an essential role in the development and maintenance of primary and secondary male characteristics. Androgens bind to a specific androgen receptor (AR), a ligand-dependent transcription factor which controls the expression of a large number of downstream target genes. The AR is an essential player in early and late prostate cancer, and may also be involved in some forms of breast cancer. It also represents a drug target for the treatment of hypogonadism. Recent studies furthermore indicate that targeting the AR in pathologies such as frailty syndrome, cachexia or polycystic ovary syndrome may have clinical benefit. Numerous AR ligands with very different pharmacological properties have been identified in the last 40 years and helped to treat several of these diseases. However, progress still needs to be made in order to find compounds with an improved profile with regard to efficacy, differentiation and side-effects. This will only be achieved through a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in normal and aberrant AR signaling.

Dynamics of coregulator-induced conformational perturbations in androgen receptor ligand binding domain

Androgen receptor (AR) coregulators modulate ligand-induced gene expression in a tissue specific manner. The molecular events that follow coactivator binding to AR and the mechanisms that govern the sequence-specific effects of AR coregulators are poorly understood. Using consensus coactivator sequence D11-FxxLF and biophysical techniques, we show that coactivator association is followed by conformational rearrangement in AR ligand binding domain (AR-LBD) that is enthalpically and entropically favorable with activation energy of 29.8±4.2 kJ/mol. Further characterization of ARA70 and SRC3-1 based consensus sequences reveal that each coactivator induces a distinct conformational state in the dihydrotestosterone:AR-LBD:coactivator complex. Complementary computational modeling revealed that coactivator induced specific alterations in the backbone flexibility of AR-LBD distant from the site of coactivator binding and that the intramolecular rearrangements in AR-LBD backbone induced by the two coactivator peptides were different. These data suggest that coactivators may impart specificity in the transcriptional machinery by changing the steady-state conformation of AR-LBD. These data provide direct evidence that even in the presence of same ligand, AR-LBD can occupy distinct conformational states depending on its interactions with specific coactivators in the tissues. We posit that this coactivator-specific conformational gating may then dictate subsequent binding partners and interaction/affinity for the DNA-response elements.

Identification of SRC3/AIB1 as a preferred coactivator for hormone-activated androgen receptor

Transcription activation by androgen receptor (AR), which depends on recruitment of coactivators, is required for the initiation and progression of prostate cancer, yet the mechanisms of how hormone-activated AR interacts with coactivators remain unclear. This is because AR, unlike any other nuclear receptor, prefers its own N-terminal FXXLF motif to the canonical LXXLL motifs of coactivators. Through biochemical and crystallographic studies, we identify that steroid receptor coactivator-3 (SRC3) (also named as amplified in breast cancer-1 or AIB1) interacts strongly with AR via synergistic binding of its first and third LXXLL motifs. Mutagenesis and functional studies confirm that SRC3 is a preferred coactivator for hormone-activated AR. Importantly, AR mutations found in prostate cancer patients correlate with their binding potency to SRC3, corroborating with the emerging role of SRC3 as a prostate cancer oncogene. These results provide a molecular mechanism for the selective utilization of SRC3 by hormone-activated AR, and they link the functional relationship between AR and SRC3 to the development and growth of prostate cancer.