Human and fish differences in steroid receptors activation: A review

Steroid receptors (SRs) are transcription factors activated by steroid hormones (SHs) that belong to the nuclear receptors (NRs) superfamily. Several studies have shown that SRs are targets of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), widespread substances in the environment capable of interfering with the endogenous hormonal pathways and causing adverse health effects in living organisms and/or their progeny. Cell lines with SRs reporter gene are currently used for in vitro screening of large quantities of chemicals with suspected endocrine-disrupting activities. However, most of these cell lines express human SRs and therefore the toxicological data obtained are also extrapolated to non-mammalian species. In parallel, in vivo tests have recently been developed on fish species whose data are also extrapolated to mammalian species. As some species-specific differences in SRs activation by natural and synthetic chemicals have been recently reported, the aim of this review is to summarize those between human and fish SRs, as representatives of mammalian and non-mammalian toxicology, respectively. Overall, this literature study aims to improve inter-species extrapolation of toxicological data on EDCs and to understand which reporter gene cell lines expressing human SRs are relevant for the assessment of effects in fish and whether in vivo tests on fish can be properly used in the assessment of adverse effects on human health.

Endocrine control of gill ionocyte function in euryhaline fishes

The endocrine system is an essential regulator of the osmoregulatory organs that enable euryhaline fishes to maintain hydromineral balance in a broad range of environmental salinities. Because branchial ionocytes are the primary site for the active exchange of Na+, Cl-, and Ca2+ with the external environment, their functional regulation is inextricably linked with adaptive responses to changes in salinity. Here, we review the molecular-level processes that connect osmoregulatory hormones with branchial ion transport. We focus on how factors such as prolactin, growth hormone, cortisol, and insulin-like growth-factors operate through their cognate receptors to direct the expression of specific ion transporters/channels, Na+/K+-ATPases, tight-junction proteins, and aquaporins in ion-absorptive (freshwater-type) and ion-secretory (seawater-type) ionocytes. While these connections have historically been deduced in teleost models, more recently, increased attention has been given to understanding the nature of these connections in basal lineages. We conclude our review by proposing areas for future investigation that aim to fill gaps in the collective understanding of how hormonal signaling underlies ionocyte-based processes.

Reduced steroid activation of elephant shark GR and MR after inserting four amino acids from the DNA-binding domain of lamprey corticoid receptor-1

Atlantic sea lamprey contains two corticoid receptors (CRs), CR1 and CR2, that have identical amino acid sequences, except for a four amino acid insert (Thr-Arg-Gln-Gly) in the CR1 DNA-binding domain (DBD). Steroids are stronger transcriptional activators of CR2 than of CR1 suggesting that the insert reduces the transcriptional response of lamprey CR1 to steroids. The DBD in elephant shark mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which are descended from a CR, lack these four amino acids, suggesting that a CR2 is their common ancestor. To determine if, similar to lamprey CR1, the presence of this insert in elephant shark MR and GR decreases transcriptional activation by corticosteroids, we inserted these four CR1-specific residues into the DBD of elephant shark MR and GR. Compared to steroid activation of wild-type elephant shark MR and GR, cortisol, corticosterone, aldosterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone and 11-deoxycortisol had lower transcriptional activation of these mutant MR and GR receptors, indicating that the absence of this four-residue segment in the DBD in wild-type elephant shark MR and GR increases transcriptional activation by corticosteroids.

N-terminal domain influences steroid activation of the Atlantic sea lamprey corticoid receptor

Lampreys are jawless fish that evolved about 550 million years ago at the base of the vertebrate line. Modern lampreys contain a corticoid receptor (CR), the common ancestor of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), which first appear in cartilaginous fish, such as sharks. Until recently, 344 amino acids at the amino terminus of adult lamprey CR were not present in the lamprey CR sequence in GenBank. A search of the recently sequenced lamprey germline genome identified two CR sequences, CR1 and CR2, containing the 344 previously un-identified amino acids. CR1 also contains a novel four amino acid insertion in the DNA-binding domain (DBD). We studied corticosteroid and progesterone activation of CR1 and CR2 and found their strongest response was to 11-deoxycorticosterone and 11-deoxycortisol, the two circulating corticosteroids in lamprey. Based on steroid specificity, both CRs are close to elephant shark MR and distant from elephant shark GR. HEK293 cells that were transfected with full-length CR1 or CR2 and the MMTV promoter have about 3-fold higher steroid-mediated activation compared to HEK293 cells transfected with these CRs and the TAT3 promoter. Deletion of the amino-terminal domain (NTD) of lamprey CR1 and CR2 to form truncated CRs decreased transcriptional activation by about 70% in HEK293 cells that were transfected with MMTV, but increased transcription by about 6-fold in cells transfected with TAT3. This indicated that the promoter has an important effect on NTD regulation of transcriptional activation of the CR by steroids. Our results also indicate that the entire lamprey CR sequence is needed for an accurate determination of steroid-mediated transcription.

Divergent Evolution of Progesterone and Mineralocorticoid Receptors in Terrestrial Vertebrates and Fish Influences Endocrine Disruption

There is much concern about disruption of endocrine physiology regulated by steroid hormones in humans, other terrestrial vertebrates and fish by industrial chemicals, such as bisphenol A, and pesticides, such as DDT. These endocrine-disrupting chemicals influence steroid-mediated physiology in humans and other vertebrates by competing with steroids for receptor binding sites, disrupting diverse responses involved in reproduction, development and differentiation. Here I discuss that due to evolution of the progesterone receptor (PR) and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) after ray-finned fish and terrestrial vertebrates diverged from a common ancestor, each receptor evolved to respond to different steroids in ray-finned fish and terrestrial vertebrates. In elephant shark, a cartilaginous fish that diverged before the separation between ray-finned fish and terrestrial vertebrates, both progesterone and 17,20β-dihydroxy-progesterone activate the PR. During the evolution of ray-finned fish and terrestrial vertebrates, the PR in terrestrial vertebrates continued responding to progesterone and evolved to weakly respond to 17,20β-dihydroxy-progesterone. In contrast, the physiological progestin for the PR in zebrafish and other ray-finned fish is 17,20β-dihydroxy-progesterone, and ray-finned fish PR responds weakly to progesterone. The MR in fish and terrestrial vertebrates also diverged to have different responses to progesterone. Progesterone is a potent agonist for elephant shark MR, zebrafish MR and other fish MRs, in contrast to progesterone's opposite activity as an antagonist for aldosterone, the physiological mineralocorticoid for human MR. These different physiological ligands for fish and terrestrial vertebrate PR and MR need to be considered in applying data for their disruption by chemicals in fish and terrestrial vertebrates to each other.

The role of mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids under the impact of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in human breast lesions

We attempted to explore the possible involvement of the in situ availability of mineralocorticoids and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) in the pathogenesis of mammary ductal carcinoma. We also explored their individual profiles among different subtypes of invasive ductal carcinomas of no special type (IDC-NST) by evaluating the status of MR, Glucocorticoid receptor (GR), and 11β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD) 1/2 at each stage of the putative cascade of the mammary ductal proliferative disorders. In this study, IDC-NST, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), and non-pathological breast tissues were all evaluated by immunohistochemistry. MR was significantly lower in ADH than in DCIS or IDC-NST. 11βHSD2 was significantly lower in ADH than normal breast tissue and 11βHSD1 was significantly higher in DCIS than normal, ADH, or IDC-NST. MR in progesterone receptor (PR)-positive IDC-NST cases tended to be associated with the Ki-67 labeling index. Results of the present study demonstrated that the status of MR and GR in conjunction with the 11βHSDs was correlated with the development of low-grade proliferative disorders in mammary glands. In addition, the potential crosstalk between MR and PR could also influence cell proliferation of breast carcinoma cells but further investigations are required for clarification.

Aldosterone and dexamethasone activate African lungfish mineralocorticoid receptor: Increased activation after removal of the amino-terminal domain

Aldosterone, the main physiological mineralocorticoid in humans and other terrestrial vertebrates, first appears in lungfish, which are lobe-finned fish that are forerunners of terrestrial vertebrates. Aldosterone activation of the MR regulates internal homeostasis of water, sodium and potassium, which was critical in the conquest of land by vertebrates. We studied transcriptional activation of the slender African lungfish MR by aldosterone, other corticosteroids and progesterone and find that aldosterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone, 11-deoxycortisol and progesterone have half-maximal responses (EC50 s) below 1 nM and are potential physiological mineralocorticoids. In contrast, EC50 s for corticosterone and cortisol were 23 nM and 66 nM, respectively. Unexpectedly, truncated lungfish MR, consisting of the DNA-binding, hinge and steroid-binding domains, had a stronger response to corticosteroids and progesterone than full-length lungfish MR, indicating that the N-terminal domain represses steroid activation of lungfish MR, unlike human MR in which the N-terminal domain contains an activation function. BLAST searches of GenBank did not retrieve a GR ortholog, leading us to test dexamethasone and triamcinolone for activation of lungfish MR. At 10 nM, both synthetic glucocorticoids are about 4-fold stronger than 10 nM aldosterone in activating full-length lungfish MR, leading us to propose that lungfish MR also functions as a GR.

Ancient fishes and the functional evolution of the corticosteroid stress response in vertebrates

The neuroendocrine mechanism underlying stress responses in vertebrates is hypothesized to be highly conserved and evolutionarily ancient. Indeed, elements of this mechanism, from the brain to steroidogenic tissue, are present in all vertebrate groups; yet, evidence of the function and even identity of some elements of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal/interrenal (HPA/I) axis is equivocal among the most basal vertebrates. The purpose of this review is to discuss the functional evolution of the HPA/I axis in vertebrates with a focus on our understanding of this neuroendocrine mechanism in the most ancient vertebrates: the agnathan (i.e., hagfish and lamprey) and chondrichthyan fishes (i.e., sharks, rays, and chimeras). A review of the current literature presents evidence of a conserved HPA/I axis in jawed vertebrates (i.e., gnathostomes); yet, available data in jawless (i.e., agnathan) and chondrichthyan fishes are limited. Neuroendocrine regulation of corticosteroidogenesis in agnathans and chondrichthyans appears to function through similar pathways as in bony fishes and tetrapods; however, key elements have yet to be identified and the involvement of melanotropins and gonadotropin-releasing hormone in the stress axis in these ancient fishes warrants further investigation. Further, the identities of physiological glucocorticoids are uncertain in hagfishes, chondrichthyans, and even coelacanths. Resolving these and other knowledge gaps in the stress response of ancient fishes will be significant for advancing knowledge of the evolutionary origins of the vertebrate stress response.

Cortisol is an osmoregulatory and glucose-regulating hormone in Atlantic sturgeon, a basal ray-finned fish

Our current understanding of the hormonal control of ion regulation in aquatic vertebrates comes primarily from studies on teleost fishes, with relatively little information on more basal fishes. We investigated the role of cortisol in regulating seawater tolerance and its underlying mechanisms in an anadromous chondrostean, the Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus). Exposure of freshwater-reared Atlantic sturgeon to seawater (25 ppt) resulted in transient (1-3 day) increases in plasma chloride, cortisol and glucose levels and long-term (6-14 day) increases in the abundance of gill Na⁺/K⁺/2Cl^- cotransporter (NKCC), which plays a critical role in salt secretion in teleosts. The abundance of gill V-type H⁺-ATPase, which is thought to play a role in ion uptake in fishes, decreased after exposure to seawater. Gill Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity did not increase in 25 ppt seawater, but did increase in fish gradually acclimated to 30 ppt. Treatment of Atlantic sturgeon in freshwater with exogenous cortisol resulted in dose-dependent increases in cortisol, glucose and gill NKCC and H⁺-ATPase abundance. Our results indicate that cortisol has an important role in regulating mechanisms for ion secretion and uptake in sturgeon and provide support for the hypothesis that control of osmoregulation and glucose by corticosteroids is a basal trait of jawed vertebrates.

11-Deoxycortisol controls hydromineral balance in the most basal osmoregulating vertebrate, sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)

It is unknown whether and how osmoregulation is controlled by corticosteroid signaling in the phylogenetically basal vertebrate group Agnatha, including lampreys and hagfishes. It is known that a truncated steroid biosynthetic pathway in lampreys produces two predominant circulating corticosteroids, 11-deoxycortisol (S) and 11-deoxycorticosterone (DOC). Furthermore, lampreys express only a single, ancestral corticosteroid receptor (CR). Whether S and/or DOC interact with the CR to control osmoregulation in lampreys is still unknown. We examined the role of the endogenous corticosteroids in vivo and ex vivo in sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) during the critical metamorphic period during which sea lamprey increase osmoregulatory capacity and acquire seawater (SW) tolerance. We demonstrate in vivo that increases in circulating [S] and gill CR abundance are associated with increases in osmoregulatory capacity during metamorphosis. We further show that in vivo and ex vivo treatment with S increases activity and expression of gill active ion transporters and improves SW tolerance, and that only S (and not DOC) has regulatory control over active ion transport in the gills. Lastly, we show that the lamprey CR expresses an ancestral, spironolactone-as-agonist structural motif and that spironolactone treatment in vivo increases osmoregulatory capacity. Together, these results demonstrate that S is an osmoregulatory hormone in lamprey and that receptor-mediated discriminative corticosteroid regulation of hydromineral balance is an evolutionarily basal trait among vertebrates.

Progesterone: An enigmatic ligand for the mineralocorticoid receptor

The progesterone receptor (PR) mediates progesterone regulation of female reproductive physiology, as well as gene transcription in non-reproductive tissues, such as brain, bone, lung and vasculature, in both women and men. An unusual property of progesterone is its high affinity for the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), which regulates electrolyte transport in the kidney in humans and other terrestrial vertebrates. In humans, rats, alligators and frogs, progesterone antagonizes activation of the MR by aldosterone, the physiological mineralocorticoid in terrestrial vertebrates. In contrast, in elephant shark, ray-finned fishes and chickens, progesterone activates the MR. Interestingly, cartilaginous fishes and ray-finned fishes do not synthesize aldosterone, raising the question of which steroid(s) activate the MR in cartilaginous fishes and ray-finned fishes. The simpler synthesis of progesterone, compared to cortisol and other corticosteroids, makes progesterone a candidate physiological activator of the MR in elephant sharks and ray-finned fishes. Elephant shark and ray-finned fish MRs are expressed in diverse tissues, including heart, brain and lung, as well as, ovary and testis, two reproductive tissues that are targets for progesterone, which together suggests a multi-faceted physiological role for progesterone activation of the MR in elephant shark and ray-finned fish. The functional consequences of progesterone as an antagonist of some terrestrial vertebrate MRs and as an agonist of fish and chicken MRs are not fully understood. The physiological activities of progesterone through binding to vertebrate MRs merits further investigation.

Steroid receptors and vertebrate evolution

Considering that life on earth evolved about 3.7 billion years ago, vertebrates are young, appearing in the fossil record during the Cambrian explosion about 542 to 515 million years ago. Results from sequence analyses of genomes from bacteria, yeast, plants, invertebrates and vertebrates indicate that receptors for adrenal steroids (aldosterone, cortisol), and sex steroids (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) also are young, with an estrogen receptor and a 3-ketosteroid receptor first appearing in basal chordates (cephalochordates: amphioxus), which are close ancestors of vertebrates. Duplication and divergence of the 3-ketosteroid receptor yielded an ancestral progesterone receptor and an ancestral corticoid receptor, the common ancestor of the glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors, in jawless vertebrates (cyclostomes: lampreys, hagfish). This was followed by evolution of an androgen receptor, distinct glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors and estrogen receptor-α and -β in cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes: sharks). Further evolution of mineralocorticoid signaling occurred with the evolution of aldosterone synthase in lungfish, a forerunner of terrestrial vertebrates. Adrenal and sex steroid receptors are not found in echinoderms and hemichordates, which are ancestors in the lineage of cephalochordates and vertebrates. The evolution of steroid receptors at key nodes in the evolution of vertebrates, in which steroid receptors act as master switches to regulate differentiation, development, reproduction, immune responses, electrolyte homeostasis and stress responses, suggests an important role for steroid receptors in the evolutionary success of vertebrates, considering that the human genome contains about 22,000 genes, which is not much larger than genomes of invertebrates, such as Caenorhabditis elegans (~18,000 genes) and Drosophila (~14,000 genes).

Molecular evolution of the switch for progesterone and spironolactone from mineralocorticoid receptor agonist to antagonist

The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) is highly conserved across vertebrate evolution. In terrestrial vertebrates, the MR mediates sodium homeostasis by aldosterone and also acts as a receptor for cortisol. Although the MR is present in fish, they lack aldosterone. The MR binds progesterone and spironolactone as antagonists in human MR but as agonists in zebrafish MR. We have defined the molecular basis of these divergent responses using MR chimeras between the zebrafish and human MR coupled with reciprocal site-directed mutagenesis and molecular dynamic (MD) simulation based on the crystal structures of the MR ligand-binding domain. Substitution of a leucine by threonine in helix 8 of the ligand-binding domain of the zebrafish MR confers the antagonist response. This leucine is conserved across fish species, whereas threonine (serine in rodents) is conserved in terrestrial vertebrate MR. MD identified an interaction of the leucine in helix 8 with a highly conserved leucine in helix 1 that stabilizes the agonist conformation including the interaction between helices 3 and 5, an interaction which has previously been characterized. This switch in the MR coincides with the evolution of terrestrial vertebrates and of aldosterone synthesis. It was perhaps mandatory if the appearance of aldosterone as a specific mediator of the homeostatic salt retention was to be tolerated. The conformational changes also provide insights into the structural basis of agonism versus antagonism in steroid receptors with potential implications for drug design in this important therapeutic target.

Transcriptional activation of elephant shark mineralocorticoid receptor by corticosteroids, progesterone, and spironolactone

The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) is a nuclear receptor and part of a large and diverse family of transcription factors that also includes receptors for glucocorticoids, progesterone, androgens, and estrogens. The corticosteroid aldosterone is the physiological activator of the MR in humans and other terrestrial vertebrates; however, its activator is not known in cartilaginous fish, the oldest group of extant jawed vertebrates. Here, we analyzed the ability of corticosteroids and progesterone to activate the full-length MR from the elephant shark (Callorhinchus milii). On the basis of their measured activities, aldosterone, cortisol, 11-deoxycorticosterone, corticosterone, 11-deoxcortisol, progesterone, and 19-norprogesterone are potential physiological mineralocorticoids. However, aldosterone, the physiological mineralocorticoid in humans and other terrestrial vertebrates, is not found in cartilaginous or ray-finned fish. Although progesterone activates MRs in ray-finned fish, progesterone does not activate MRs in humans, amphibians, or alligator, suggesting that during the transition to terrestrial vertebrates, progesterone lost the ability to activate the MR. Both elephant shark MR and human MR are expressed in the brain, heart, ovary, testis, and other nonepithelial tissues, suggesting that MR expression in diverse tissues evolved in the common ancestor of jawed vertebrates. Our data suggest that 19-norprogesterone– and progesterone-activated MR may have unappreciated functions in reproductive physiology.

30 YEARS OF THE MINERALOCORTICOID RECEPTOR: Evolution of the mineralocorticoid receptor: sequence, structure and function

The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) is descended from a corticoid receptor (CR), which has descendants in lamprey and hagfish, cyclostomes (jawless fish), a taxon that evolved at the base of the vertebrate line. A distinct MR and GR first appear in cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes), such as sharks, skates, rays and chimeras. Skate MR has a strong response to corticosteroids that are mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids in humans. The half-maximal responses (EC50s) for skate MR for the mineralocorticoids aldosterone and 11-deoxycorticosterone are 0.07 nM and 0.03 nM, respectively. EC50s for the glucocorticoids cortisol and corticosterone are 1 nM and 0.09 nM, respectively. The physiological mineralocorticoid in ray-finned fish, which do not synthesize aldosterone, is not fully understood because several 3-ketosteroids, including cortisol, 11-deoxycortisol, corticosterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone and progesterone are transcriptional activators of fish MR. Further divergence of the MR and GR in terrestrial vertebrates, which synthesize aldosterone, led to emergence of aldosterone as a selective ligand for the MR. Here, we combine sequence analysis of the CR and vertebrate MRs and GRs, analysis of crystal structures of human MR and GR and data on transcriptional activation by 3-ketosteroids of wild-type and mutant MRs and GRs to investigate the evolution of selectivity for 3-ketosteroids by the MR in terrestrial vertebrates and ray-finned fish, as well as the basis for binding of some glucocorticoids by human MR and other vertebrate MRs.

Sutherlandia frutescens modulates adrenal hormone biosynthesis, acts as a selective glucocorticoid receptor agonist (SEGRA) and displays anti-mineralocorticoid properties

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Sutherlandia frutescens is a traditional African medicinal plant used in the treatment of stress and anxiety, while also exhibiting anti-inflammatory properties.

AIM OF STUDY

The study aimed at linking anti-stress and anti-inflammatory properties of S. frutescens to its influence on glucocorticoid biosynthesis and the inflammatory response via steroid receptor interaction.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The influence of S. frutescens extracts and sutherlandioside B (SUB),10 and 30µM, on key steroidogenic enzymes was assayed in COS-1 cells. Effects were also assayed on basal and stimulated hormone levels in the adrenal H295R cell model. Agonist activity for transactivation and transrepression of the extract and SUB with the glucocorticoid- (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) was subsequently investigated.

RESULTS

Inhibitory effects of the extract towards progesterone conversion by CYP17A1 and CYP21A2 were significant. SUB inhibited CYP17A1 and 3β-HSD2, while not affecting CYP21A2. In H295R cells, SUB decreased cortisol and androgen precursors significantly. The extract decreased total steroid production (basal and stimulated) with cortisol and its precursor, deoxycortisol, together with mineralocorticoid metabolites significantly decreased under forskolin stimulated conditions. S. frutescens extracts and SUB repressed NF-κB-driven gene expression without activating GRE-driven gene expression and while neither activated MR mediated gene transcription, both antagonized the effects of aldosterone via the MR.

CONCLUSION

Data provide evidence linking anti-stress, anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive properties of S. frutescens to inhibition of steroidogenic enzymes and modulation of adrenal hormone biosynthesis. Findings suggesting S. frutescens and SUB exhibit dissociated glucocorticoid characteristics underline potential therapeutic applications in the treatment of inflammation and hypertension.