Nuclear receptor corepressor is a novel regulator of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling

Mol Cell Biol. 2007 Sep;27(17):6116-26. doi: 10.1128/MCB.00900-07. Epub 2007 Jul 2.

Abstract

The nuclear receptor corepressor (NCoR) regulates the activities of DNA-binding transcription factors. Recent observations of its distribution in the extranuclear compartment raised the possibility that it could have other cellular functions in addition to transcription repression. We previously showed that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling is aberrantly activated by a mutant thyroid hormone beta receptor (TRbetaPV, hereafter referred to as PV) via physical interaction with p85alpha, thus contributing to thyroid carcinogenesis in a mouse model of follicular thyroid carcinoma (TRbetaPV/PV mouse). Since NCoR is known to modulate the actions of TRbeta mutants in vivo and in vitro, we asked whether NCoR regulates PV-activated PI3K signaling. Remarkably, we found that NCoR physically interacted with and competed with PV for binding to the C-terminal SH2 (Src homology 2) domain of p85alpha, the regulatory subunit of PI3K. Confocal fluorescence microscopy showed that both NCoR and p85alpha were localized in the nuclear as well as in the cytoplasmic compartments. Overexpression of NCoR in thyroid tumor cells of TRbetaPV/PV mouse reduced PI3K signaling, as indicated by the decrease in the phosphorylation of its immediate downstream effector, p-AKT. Conversely, lowering cellular NCoR by siRNA knockdown in tumor cells led to overactivated p-AKT and increased cell proliferation and motility. Furthermore, NCoR protein levels were significantly lower in thyroid tumor cells than in wild-type thyrocytes, allowing more effective binding of PV to p85alpha to activate PI3K signaling and thus contributing to tumor progression. Taken together, these results indicate that NCoR, via protein-protein interaction, is a novel regulator of PI3K signaling and could serve to modulate thyroid tumor progression.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Nuclear Proteins / genetics
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism*
  • Nuclear Receptor Co-Repressor 1
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / genetics
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / metabolism*
  • Protein Subunits / genetics
  • Protein Subunits / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism
  • RNA, Small Interfering / metabolism
  • Repressor Proteins / genetics
  • Repressor Proteins / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction / physiology*
  • Thyroid Gland / cytology
  • Thyroid Gland / pathology
  • Thyroid Hormone Receptors beta / genetics
  • Thyroid Hormone Receptors beta / metabolism
  • Thyroid Neoplasms

Substances

  • NCOR1 protein, human
  • Ncor1 protein, mouse
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Nuclear Receptor Co-Repressor 1
  • Protein Subunits
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Repressor Proteins
  • Thyroid Hormone Receptors beta
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt