The Effect of HACE1 on RAR Protein Stability

Abstract

All-trans retinoic acid (RA), as a ligand for retinoic acid receptors (RAR) and retinoid X receptors (RXR), modulates their transcriptional activity. The AF-1 and AF-2 domains mediate the transcriptional activity. The ligand dependent activation of the AF-2 domain by RA is well understood to involve chromosome decompaction in the presence of ligand with the aid of coactivators. The mechanism of the ligand independent action of the AF-1 domain is less clear. The AF-1 domain of RARs may be regulated by interacting proteins such as HACE1. In vitro and in vivo studies in our lab have shown that HACE1 interacts with RARα1, - β1, -β2, -β3, and -γ1 at the variable AF-1 domain. Transactivation studies have shown that HACE1 represses RA dependent transcriptional activity of RARγ1, but not RARβ3 and RARα1. Our original hypothesis proposed that HACE1 represses RAR transcriptional activity by inhibiting RA-dependent degradation of RARs. Current data confirms previous observations that the half life of RARβ3 is shortened in the presence of RA, compared to a vehicle control. Protein stability assays show that HACE1 does not have an effect on degradation of RARβ3 and RARγ1; however, it increases the ligand independent degradation of RARα1.This data suggests the A/B domain of RARγ1 recruits HACE1 for binding which results in transcriptional repression. Also, in a separate mechanism, the A/B domain of RARα1 binds to HACE1 which then accelerates its degradation in a ligand independent manner. The mechanisms behind these novel roles of HACE1 will need to be studied further and may help in understanding the method of AF-1 transcactivation function.