Open AccessExpression, purification and crystallization of the ancestral androgen receptor–DHT complex
Author(s) -
Colucci Jennifer K.,
Ortlund Eric A.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
acta crystallographica section f
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1744-3091
DOI - 10.1107/s1744309113018745
Subject(s) - androgen receptor , androgen , dihydrotestosterone , biology , receptor , steroid , transcription factor , nuclear receptor , estrogen receptor , steroid hormone , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , mediator , hormone , endocrinology , genetics , cancer , prostate cancer , breast cancer
Steroid receptors (SRs) are a closely related family of ligand‐dependent nuclear receptors that mediate the transcription of genes critical for development, reproduction and immunity. SR dysregulation has been implicated in cancer, inflammatory diseases and metabolic disorders. SRs bind their cognate hormone ligand with exquisite specificity, offering a unique system to study the evolution of molecular recognition. The SR family evolved from an estrogen‐sensitive ancestor and diverged to become sensitive to progestagens, corticoids and, most recently, androgens. To understand the structural mechanisms driving the evolution of androgen responsiveness, the ancestral androgen receptor (ancAR1) was crystallized in complex with 5α‐dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and a fragment of the transcriptional mediator/intermediary factor 2 (Tif2). Crystals diffracted to 2.1 Å resolution and the resulting structure will permit a direct comparison with its progestagen‐sensitive ancestor, ancestral steroid receptor 2 (AncSR2).