Thyroid hormone, receptor vitamin

The signal crosses the membrane and activates gene transcription. Signals for soluble receptors include steroid hormones, retinoic acid, thyroid hormone, and vitamin D. 

Lipid-soluble hormones act usually by gene activation/deactivation. Examples of these hormones include steroids, thyroid hormone, and vitamin A (retinoic acid). The hormones are transported through the circulation in association with a hormone-binding protein and are soluble in the plasma membrane of the cell. Their receptors are intracellular, and they act on gene transcription (the synthesis of messenger RNA) rather than at the protein level. Thus, they act more slowly than do the soluble hormones, on the scale of days rather than minutes. 

Metabolites of PCBs also exert biological effects. The Ah-receptor mediated responses, however, are probably caused by the parent compounds only. The effects of hydroxylated PCBs include inhibition of cytochrome P450-dependent enzyme activities and competitive interference with thyroid hormone and vitamin A metabolism.89,90 Methylsulfonyl-PCBs have been shown to inhibit aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity91 and to elicit phenobarbital-type toxicity and may in fact be responsible for the observed effect presumed to be caused by the parent compound.92... 

Vitamin A has a very important role in regulating the actions of other hormone- and nutrient-dependent genes because the RXRs can interact with other nuclear receptors to form heterodimers that are able to bind and regulate hormone and nutrient responsiveness. The RXRs are able to heterodimerize with the vitamin D receptor, the thyroid hormone receptors, the peroxisome proliferator activated... 

Figure 29-6. Gene transcription is regulated by retinoic acid.Ah-Zrwm-retinoic acid and 9-cA-retinoic acid are ligands for retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs), respectively. The RXRs can form heterodimers with RARs and with the thyroid hormone receptors (TRs), the vitamin D receptor (VDR), and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and a number of other hormone- and nutrient-responsive transcription factors to moderate gene transcription. Because of the ability of RXR to form heterodimers with other nuclear receptors, vitamin A has abroad effect on many hormonally and nutrient-responsive genes.

These receptors are chiefly responsible for the physiological effects of steroid hormones such as cortisol as well as thyroid hormone and vitamin A. They are proteins that share a common basic structure consisting of a ligand binding domain and a DNA binding domain (comprised of zinc finger motifs). They operate as ligand-responsive transcription factors (see Chap. 17 for further discussion). 

RXR forms active homodimers and also form heterodimers with the cal-citriol (vitamin D) receptor (Section 3.3.1), the thyroid hormone receptor, the peroxisome proliferation-activated receptor (PPAR, whose physiological... 

The vitamin D receptor- RXR heterodimer binds in 5 RXR-VDR3 polarity to a direct repeat hormone response element However, the vitamin D receptor also forms heterodimers with the retinoic acid receptor and the thyroid hormone receptor. All three vitamin D receptor dimers can interact with either direct repeat or inverted palindromic hormone response elements. In heterodimers, the vitamin D receptor may be at the 5 -position or 3 -position, resulting in six types of activated vitamin D receptor dimers that can bind to two types of response elements, raising the possibility of multiple signaling pathways (Carlberg, 1996 Carlberg et al., 2001 Yamada et al., 2001b). 

In Table 11.2 the properties of two families of nuclear receptors, A and B, are compared. To family A belong the steroid hormone receptors and to family B, the non-steroidal receptors,25 the thyroid hormone receptors, the retinoic acid receptors, the vitamin D3 receptor, the peroxysome proliferator activating receptor, and several orphan receptors. 

B Thyroid hormone receptor, THR All-trans retinoic acid receptor, RAR Vitamin D3 receptor, VDR 9-c/s retinoic acid receptor, RXR, Peroxysome proliferator activating receptor, PPAR Orphan receptors Short A/B domains do not associate with chaperones. Unliganded receptors bind to DNA... 

Changes in thyroid hormone levels in the body provoke consequent changes in metabolism by forming a complex with a special transcription factor, the thyroid hormone receptor. The hormone/receptor complex then binds to special regions of the chromosome and provoke changes in the rate of transcription of nearby genes. Details of this scenario were presented in the vitamin chapter in the section on Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and Thyroid Hormone at the Genome. 

These retinoid receptors must form dimers before they interact with RAREs. RARs must form heterodimers with RXR.S, whereas RXRs may also form homodimers. It appears that the RAREs for the homodimers differ from those for the heterodimers. This implies that they may activate different sets of genes. RXRs also form hetcrodimers with thyroid hormone receptors and vitamin O receptois. increasing their affinity for DNA. Several enzymes whose expression depends on RXR have been found. The available experimental data provide convincing evidence that these proteins are, in fact, nuclear receptors belonging to the steroid/thyroid hormone superfamily. They mediate important aspects of vitamin A function. The existence of proteins that specifically bind retinoic acid substantiates the implication of retinoic acid as a physiological form of vitamin A. 

Thyroid hormone receptors are members of a large nuclear receptor superfamily that includes receptors for steroid hormones, vitamin D, and retinoic... 

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