Interaction of human beta 1 thyroid hormone receptor and its mutants with DNA and retinoid X receptor beta. T3 response element-dependent dominant negative potency.

Mutations in the human beta thyroid hormone receptor (h-TR beta) gene are associated with the syndrome of generalized resistance to thyroid hormone. We investigated the interaction of three h-TR beta 1 mutants representing different types of functional impairment (kindreds ED, OK, and PV) with different response elements for 3,3',5-triiodothyronine (T3) and with retinoid X receptor beta (RXR beta). The mutant receptors showed an increased tendency to form homodimers on a palindromic T3-response element (TREpal), a direct repeat (DR + 4), and an inverted palindrome (TRElap). On TRElap, wild type TR binding was decreased by T3, while the mutant receptors showed a variably decreased degree of dissociation from TRElap in response to T3. The extent of dissociation was proportional to their T3 binding affinities. RXR beta induced the formation of h-TR beta 1:RXR beta heterodimers equally well for mutants and the wild type h-TR beta 1 on these T3 response elements. However, the T3-dependent increase in heterodimerization with RXR beta was absent or reduced for the mutant TRs. Transient transfection studies indicated that the dominant negative potency was several-fold more pronounced on the TRElap as compared to TREpal or DR + 4. In CV-1 and HeLa cells, transfection of RXR beta could not reverse the dominant negative action. These results demonstrate that the binding of mutant h-TRs to DNA, as well as their dominant negative potency, are TRE dependent. In addition, competition for DNA binding, rather than for limiting amounts of RXR beta, is likely to mediate the dominant negative action.

Variable transcriptional activity and ligand binding of mutant beta 1 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine receptors from four families with generalized resistance to thyroid hormone.

Mutations in the gene encoding the human beta 1 T3 receptor (hTR beta 1) have been associated with generalized resistance to thyroid hormone (GRTH). We measured the T3-binding affinity and transcriptional regulatory capacity of the mutant hTR beta 1 from four unrelated kindreds with GRTH. These mutations are contained in different functional regions of the ligand-binding domain. The T3 affinity of the mutant receptors correlated well with the degree of impairment of their trans-activating function in a transient cotransfection system in HeLa cells; two mutant receptors with undetectable ligand affinity showed no transcriptional activity, whereas the two other mutants characterized by a 2- and 5-fold reduction in T3 affinity required 5- and 15-fold higher T3 concentrations for half-maximal activity in the cotransfection assay, respectively. All of the mutant hTR beta 1s were able to inhibit the function of transfected normal hTR beta 1 and endogenous retinoic acid receptor in activating a palindromic positive T3 response element (TRE). In the partially functional mutants this dominant negative effect could be completely reversed by increased T3 concentrations. The dominant negative potency did not depend on the type of TRE used; mutant hTR beta 1s were able to inhibit normal receptor function to the same degree on a dimer-permissive palindromic TRE as on a nondimer-permissive inverted repeat of two identical half-sites separated by five spacer bases. However, the dominant negative potency was dependent on the absolute amount of receptor expression vector transfected. The expression of normal and mutant hTR beta 1 was assessed by immunocytochemistry. The hTR beta 1 protein levels in HeLa cells paralleled the amount of transfected expression vector. Moreover, all the mutant receptors were properly expressed in the nuclei of the transfected cells. These data suggest that different mutations in the ligand-binding domain of the human hTR beta 1 result in a variable degree of functional impairment, which may partially explain the phenotypic differences between kindreds with GRTH. Our findings suggest that competition for binding to the TRE and possibly the binding of limiting accessory factors may be more important in mediating the dominant negative effect than the formation of normal/mutant T3 receptor dimers.