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Title: Homology-modeled ligand-binding domains of medaka estrogen receptors and androgen receptors: A model system for the study of reproduction

Journal Article · · Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
OSTI ID:21255908
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. Department of Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki 444-8585 (Japan)
  2. Division of Life Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003 (China)
  3. School of Life Sciences, Huazhong Normal University, Wuhan 430079 (China)
  4. Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki 444-8585 (Japan)

Estrogen and androgen and their receptors play critical roles in physiological processes such as sexual differentiation and development. Using the available structural models for the human estrogen receptors alpha and beta and androgen receptor as templates, we designed in silico agonist and antagonist models of medaka estrogen receptor (meER) alpha, beta-1, and beta-2, and androgen receptor (meAR) alpha and beta. Using these models, we studied (1) the structural relationship between the ligand-binding domains (LBDs) of ERs and ARs of human and medaka, and (2) whether medaka ER and AR can be potential models for studying the ligand-binding activities of various agonists and antagonists of these receptors by docking analysis. A high level of conservation was observed between the sequences of the ligand-binding domains of meER{alpha} and huER{alpha}, meER{beta}1 and huER{beta}, meER{beta}2, and huER{beta} with 62.8%, 66.4%, and 65.1% identity, respectively. The sequence conservation between meAR{alpha} and huAR, meAR{beta}, and huAR was found with 70.1% and 61.0% of identity, respectively. Thirty-three selected endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including both agonists and antagonists, were docked into the LBD of ER and AR, and the corresponding docking score for medaka models and human templates were calculated. In order to confirm the conservation of the overall geometry and the binding pocket, the backbone root mean square deviation (RMSD) for C{alpha} atoms was derived from the structure superposition of all 10 medaka homology models to the six human templates. Our results suggested conformational conservation between the ERs and ARs of medaka and human, Thus, medaka could be highly useful as a model system for studies involving estrogen and androgen interaction with their receptors.

OSTI ID:
21255908
Journal Information:
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Vol. 380, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2009.01.047; PII: S0006-291X(09)00085-0; Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0006-291X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English