Activity of the Nurr1 carboxyl-terminal domain depends on cell type and integrity of the activation function 2

Nurr1, a member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily, was recently demonstrated to be of critical importance in the developing central nervous system, where it is required for the generation of midbrain dopamine cells. Nuclear receptors encompass a transcriptional activation function (activation function 2; AF2) within their carboxyl-terminal domains important for ligand-induced transcriptional activation. Since a Nurr1 ligand remains to be identified, the role of the Nurr1 AF2 region in transcriptional activation is unclear. However, here we show that the Nurr1 AF2 contributes to constitutive activation independent of exogenously added ligands in human embryo kidney 293 cells and in neural cell lines. Extensive mutagenesis indicated a crucial role of the AF2 core region for transactivation but also identified unique features differing from previously characterized receptors. In addition, Nurr1 did not appear to interact with, and was not stimulated by, several previously identified coactivators such as the steroid receptor coactivator 1. In contrast, adenovirus protein E1A, stably expressed in 293 cells, was shown to contribute to AF2-dependent activation. Finally, while the AF2 core of RXR is required for ligand-induced transcriptional activation by Nurr1-RXR heterodimers, the functional integrity of Nurr1 AF2 core is not critical. These results establish that the ligand binding domain of Nurr1 has intrinsic capacity for transcriptional activation depending on cell type and mode of DNA binding. Furthermore, these results are consistent with the possibility that gene expression in the central nervous system can be modulated by an as yet unidentified ligand interacting with the ligand binding domain of Nurr1.