structural view of nuclear hormone receptor: endocrine disruptor interactions

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) represent a broad class of exogenous substances that cause adverse effects in the endocrine system by interfering with hormone biosynthesis, metabolism, or action. The molecular mechanisms of EDCs involve different pathways including interactions with nuclear ho...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS 2010-04, Vol.67 (8), p.1219-1237
Main Authors: le Maire, Albane, Bourguet, William, Balaguer, Patrick
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Biosynthesis
Cell Biology
Contaminants
Crystal structure
Endocrine disruptors
Endocrine Disruptors - pharmacology
Endocrine system
Endocrine System - drug effects
Endocrinology
Hormones
Humans
Life Sciences
Molecular biology
Pharmacology
Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear - chemistry
Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear - metabolism
Review
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) represent a broad class of exogenous substances that cause adverse effects in the endocrine system by interfering with hormone biosynthesis, metabolism, or action. The molecular mechanisms of EDCs involve different pathways including interactions with nuclear hormone receptors (NHRs) which are primary targets of a large variety of environmental contaminants. Here, based on the crystal structures currently available in the Protein Data Bank, we review recent studies showing the many ways in which EDCs interact with NHRs and impact their signaling pathways. Like the estrogenic chemical diethylstilbestrol, some EDCs mimic the natural hormones through conserved protein-ligand contacts, while others, such as organotins, employ radically different binding mechanisms. Such structure-based knowledge, in addition to providing a better understanding of EDC activities, can be used to predict the endocrine-disrupting potential of environmental pollutants and may have applications in drug discovery.
ISSN:1420-682X
1420-9071
DOI:10.1007/s00018-009-0249-2