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Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common movement disorders, and currently there is no effective treatment that can slow disease progression. Preserving and enhancing DA neuron survival is increasingly regarded as the most promising therapeutic strategy for treating PD. IRX4204 is a second generation retinoid X receptor (RXR) agonist that has no cross reactivity with retinoic acid receptors, farnesoid X receptor, liver X receptors or peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor PPARγ. We found that IRX4204 promotes the survival and maintenance of nigral dopaminergic (DA) neurons in a dose-dependent manner in primary mesencephalic cultures. Brain bioavailability studies demonstrate that IRX4204 can cross the blood brain barrier and reach the brain at nM concentration. Oral administration of IRX4204 can activate nuclear receptor Nurr1 downstream signaling in the substantia nigra (SN) andattenuate neurochemical and motor deficits in a rat model of PD. Our study suggests that IRX4204 represents a novel, potent and selective pharmacological means to activate cellular RXR-Nurr1 signaling and promote SN DA neuron survival in PD prevention and/or treatment.

Retinoic acid receptor gamma 2 (RARγ2) is the major RAR isoform expressed throughout the caudal axial progenitor domain in vertebrates. During a microarray screen to identify RAR targets, we identified a subset of genes that pattern caudal structures or promote axial elongation and are upregulated by increased RAR-mediated repression. Previous studies have suggested that RAR is present in the caudal domain, but is quiescent until its activation in late stage embryos terminates axial elongation. By contrast, we show here that RARγ2 is engaged in all stages of axial elongation, not solely as a terminator of axial growth. In the absence of RA, RARγ2 represses transcriptional activity in vivo and maintains the pool of caudal progenitor cells and presomitic mesoderm. In the presence of RA, RARγ2 serves as an activator, facilitating somite differentiation. Treatment with an RARγ-selective inverse agonist (NRX205099) or overexpression of dominant-negative RARγ increases the expression of posterior Hox genes and that of marker genes for presomitic mesoderm and the chordoneural hinge. Conversely, when RAR-mediated repression is reduced by overexpressing a dominant-negative co-repressor (c-SMRT), a constitutively active RAR (VP16-RARγ2), or by treatment with an RARγ-selective agonist (NRX204647), expression of caudal genes is diminished and extension of the body axis is prematurely terminated. Hence, gene repression mediated by the unliganded RARγ2-co-repressor complex constitutes a novel mechanism to regulate and facilitate the correct expression levels and spatial restriction of key genes that maintain the caudal progenitor pool during axial elongation in Xenopus embryos.

Heterotopic ossification consists of ectopic bone formation within soft tissues after surgery or trauma. It can have debilitating consequences, but there is no definitive cure. Here we show that heterotopic ossification was essentially prevented in mice receiving a nuclear retinoic acid receptor-γ (RAR-γ) agonist. Side effects were minimal, and there was no significant rebound effect. To uncover the mechanisms of these responses, we treated mouse mesenchymal stem cells with an RAR-γ agonist and transplanted them into nude mice. Whereas control cells formed ectopic bone masses, cells that had been pretreated with the RAR-γ agonist did not, suggesting that they had lost their skeletogenic potential. The cells became unresponsive to rBMP-2 treatment in vitro and showed decreases in phosphorylation of Smad1, Smad5 and Smad8 and in overall levels of Smad proteins. In addition, an RAR-γ agonist blocked heterotopic ossification in transgenic mice expressing activin receptor-like kinase-2 (ALK2) Q207D, a constitutively active form of the receptor that is related to ALK2 R206H found in individuals with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. The data indicate that RAR-γ agonists are potent inhibitors of heterotopic ossification in mouse models and, thus, may also be effective against injury-induced and congenital heterotopic ossification in humans., Heterotopic ossification is a potentially severe pathology in which ectopic bone forms within muscles and connective tissues and near blood vessels or nerves. More than 10% of patients who undergo [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2010.08.022 Byline: Young Jae Lee, Alexandra McPherron, Susan Choe, Yasuo Sakai, Roshantha A. Chandraratna, Se-Jin Lee, S. Paul Oh Keywords: GDF11; ACVR2; CYP26A1; Retinoic acid; Vertebral patterning; RAR inhibitor Abstract: Mice deficient in growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) signaling display anterior transformation of axial vertebrae and truncation of caudal vertebrae. However, the in vivo molecular mechanisms by which GDF11 signaling regulates the development of the vertebral column have yet to be determined. We found that Gdf11 and Acvr2b mutants are sensitive to exogenous RA treatment on vertebral specification and caudal vertebral development. We show that diminished expression of Cyp26a1, a retinoic acid inactivating enzyme, and concomitant elevation of retinoic acid activity in the caudal region of Gdf11.sup.-/- embryos may account for this phenomenon. Reduced expression or function of Cyp26a1 enhanced anterior transformation of axial vertebrae in wild-type and Acvr2b mutants. Furthermore, a pan retinoic acid receptor antagonist (AGN193109) could lessen the anterior transformation phenotype and rescue the tail truncation phenotype of Gdf11.sup.-/- mice. Taken together, these results suggest that GDF11 signaling regulates development of caudal vertebrae and is involved in specification of axial vertebrae in part by maintaining Cyp26a1 expression, which represses retinoic acid activity in the caudal region of embryos during the somitogenesis stage. Article History: Received 20 March 2010; Revised 20 August 2010; Accepted 20 August 2010

Using a study on Xenopus embryos, the role of retinoic acid in the development of heart tube during cardiogenesis is examined.

Segmentation of the vertebrate hindbrain into rhombomeres is essential for the anterior-posterior patterning of cranial motor nuclei and their associated nerves. The vitamin A derivative, retinoic acid (RA), is an early embryonic signal that specifies rhombomeres, but its roles in neuronal differentiation within the hindbrain remain unclear. Here we have analyzed the formation of primary and secondary hindbrain neurons in the zebrafish mutant neckless (nls), which disrupts retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (raldh2), and in embryos treated with retinoid receptor (RAR) antagonists. Mutation of nls disrupts secondary, brancbiomotor neurons of the facial and vagal nerves, but not the segmental pattern of primary, reticulospinal neurons, suggesting that RA acts on branchiomotor neurons independent of its role in hindbrain segmentation. Very few vagal motor neurons form in nls mutants and many facial motor neurons do not migrate out of rhombomere 4 into more posterior segments. When embryos are treated with RAR antagonists during gastrulation, we observe more severe patterning defects than seen in nls. These include duplicated reticulospinal neurons and posterior expansions of rhombomere 4, as well as defects in branchiomotor neurons. However, later antagonist treatments after rhombomeres are established still disrupt branchiomotor development, suggesting that requirements for RARs in these neurons occur later and independent of segmental patterning. We also show that RA produced by the paraxial mesoderm controls branchiomotor differentiation, since we can rescue the entire motor innervation pattern by transplanting wild-type cells into the somites of nls mutants. Thus, in addition to its role in determining rhombomere identities, RA plays a more direct role in the differentiation of subsets of branchiomotor neurons within the hindbrain. Keywords: Danio rerio; RAR; Islet-1; Rhombomere; Cranial nerve; Hox; Motor neuron

Byline: Matthias Schaier (1), Sabine Liebler (1), Kerstin Schade (1), Fujio Shimizu (1,2), Hiroshi Kawachi (1,2), Hermann-Joseph Grone (3), Roshantha Chandraratna (4), Eberhard Ritz (1), Juergen Wagner (1) Keywords: Chronic glomerulonephritis; Retinoids; Retinoid receptor expression Abstract: Retinoids, derivatives of vitamin A, inhibit mesangial cell proliferation, glomerular inflammation, and extracellular matrix deposition in acute anti-Thy1.1 glomerulonephritis (Thy-GN) of the rat. We examined a model, chronic mesangioproliferative Thy-GN (MoAb 1-22-3), which is more akin to human disease. Treatment started on day 23 when Thy-GN had already been established. Nonnephritic control and Thy-GN rats were treated orally for 67 days with vehicle or with two doses of either the retinoic acid receptor [alpha]-specific agonist AGN 195183 (RAR[alpha] agonist) or the retinoid X receptor specific agonist AGN 194204 (RXR agonist). Doses of either the RAR[alpha] or the RXR agonist significantly reduced albuminuria and normalized blood pressure during the course of treatment. The glomerulosclerosis index, glomerular cell and interstitial cell counts, and area of the interstitial space were significantly lower in nephritic rats treated with the RAR[alpha] agonist or RXR agonist than with vehicle. The RAR[alpha] and RXR agonist significantly reduced the infiltration of the glomerulus by macrophages. The increase in glomerular TGF[beta]1 and prepro-ET.sub.1 gene expression in vehicle-treated nephritic rats was significantly attenuated by RAR[alpha] or RXR agonists. Glomerular expression of RXR[alpha] and RAR[alpha] receptor mRNA was significantly greater in vehicle-treated nephritic rats than in nonnephritic controls. Treatment with RAR[alpha] or RXR agonists tended to normalize retinoid-receptor gene expression. Our data indicate that both RAR[alpha] agonists and RXR agonists reduce renal damage in rats with established chronic glomerulonephritis. Receptor-specific retinoids may provide a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of chronic glomerulonephritis. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Nephrology, University Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Bergheimer Strasse 56a, 69115, Heidelberg, Germany (2) Department of Nephrology, University of Niigata, Niigata, Japan (3) Department of Experimental Pathology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany (4) Allergan Pharmaceuticals, Irvine, California, USA Article History: Registration Date: 04/11/2003 Received Date: 06/05/2003 Accepted Date: 30/10/2003 Online Date: 08/01/2004

The mechanisms of retinoid activity in tumors remain largely unknown. Here we establish that retinoids cause extensive apoptosis of medulloblastoma cells. In a xenograft model, retinoids largely abrogated tumor growth. Using receptor-specific retinoid agonists, we defined a subset of mRNAs that were induced by all active retinoids in retinoid-sensitive cell lines. We also identified bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) as a candidate mediator of retinoid activity. BMP-2 protein induced medulloblastoma cell apoptosis, whereas the BMP-2 antagonist noggin blocked both retinoid and BMP-2-induced apoptosis. BMP-2 also induced p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), which is necessary for BMP-2- and retinoid-induced apoptosis. Retinoid-resistant medulloblastoma cells underwent apoptosis when treated with BMP-2 or when cultured with retinoid-sensitive medulloblastoma cells. Retinoid-induced expression of BMP-2 is thus necessary and sufficient for apoptosis of retinoid-responsive cells, and expression of BMP-2 by retinoid-sensitive cells is sufficient to induce apoptosis in surrounding retinoid-resistant cells., Author(s): Andrew R Hallahan [1, 2]; Joel I Pritchard [1]; Roshantha A S Chandraratna [3]; Richard G Ellenbogen [4]; J Russel Geyer [2]; Ryan P Overland [1]; Andrew D Strand [...]

Research has been conducted on receptor interacting protein 140. The molecular basis of the ligand-dependent and ligand-independent interactions between interacting protein 140 and the retinoid receptors, and the role of specific agonist/antagonists in this interactions have been investigated, and the results are reported.

Chondrogenesis is a multistep process culminating in the establishment of a precisely patterned template for bone formation. Previously, we identified a loss in retinoid receptor-mediated signaling as being necessary and sufficient for expression of the chondroblast phenotype (Weston et al., 2000. J. Cell Biol. 148:679-690). Here we demonstrate a close association between retinoic acid receptor (RAR) activity and the transcriptional activity of Sox9, a transcription factor required for cartilage formation. Specifically, inhibition of RAR-mediated signaling in primary cultures of mouse limb mesenchyme results in increased Sox9 expression and activity. This induction is attenuated by the histone deacetylase inhibitor, trichostatin A, and by coexpression of a dominant negative nuclear receptor corepressor-1, indicating an unexpected requirement for RAR-mediated repression in skeletal progenitor differentiation. Inhibition of RAR activity results in activation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and protein kinase A (PKA) pathways, indicating their potential role in the regulation of chondrogenesis by RAR repression. Accordingly, activation of RAR signaling, which attenuates differentiation, can be rescued by activation of p38 MAPK or PKA. In summary, these findings demonstrate a novel role for active RAR-mediated gene repression in chondrogenesis and establish a hierarchical network whereby RAR-mediated signaling functions upstream of the p38 MAPK and PKA signaling pathways to regulate emergence of the chondroblast phenotype.

The actual role of programmed cell death (PCD) in embryonic processes and the extrinsic signals that define the death fate in developing cells are still poorly understood. Here, we show that during secondary palate shelf fusion in the mouse, PCD appeared in the medial edge epithelia (MEE) of the anterior region only after shelf contact. Contact was necessary for efficient cell death activation in the MEE. However, exogenous all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) increased cell death independently of contact. Competence to induce cell death by contact or by RA exposure was obtained when the MEE were close to touch. Endogenous RA is a relevant regulator of the secondary palate PCD since this was reduced by a retinol dehydrogenase inhibitor and an RAR specific antagonist. Bmp-7 expression was positively regulated by RA. However, BMP-7 was unable to activate cell death within the palate tissue and NOGGIN, a natural BMP antagonist, did not block PCD. Reduction of PCD at the MEE directly with a caspase inhibitor or by inhibiting retinol dehydrogenase resulted in unfused palate shelves, but adhesion was not affected. In contrast, exogenous RA also blocked fusion, but in this situation the increased cell death within the MEE appeared to affect adhesion, thereby causing cleft palate in vivo. Key Words: programmed cell death; palate development; tissue fusion; retinoic acid.

Active repression of retinoic acid receptors (RAR) signaling has been found to be necessary for head formation. Specific reagents that reduce or augment RAR-mediated repression have been used to test the hypothesis that repression mediated through unliganded RARs might be important for anterior patterning.

Retinoids, synthetic and natural analogs of retinoic acid, exhibit potent growth inhibitory and cell differentiation activities that account for their beneficial effects in treating hyperproliferative diseases such as psoriasis, actinic keratosis, and certain neoplasias. Tazarotene is a synthetic retinoid that is used in the clinic for the treatment of psoriasis. To better understand the mechanism of retinoid action in the treatment of hyperproliferative diseases, we used a long-range differential display-PCR to isolate retinoid-responsive genes from primary human keratinocytes. We have identified a cDNA, tazarotene-induced gene 3 (TIG3; Retinoic Acid Receptor Responder 3) showing significant homology to the class II tumor suppressor gene, H-rev 107. Tazarotene treatment increases TIG3 expression in primary human keratinocytes and in vivo in psoriatic lesions. Increased TIG3 expression is correlated with decreased proliferation. TIG3 is expressed in a number of tissues, and expression is reduced in cancer cell lines and some primary tumors. In breast cancer cell lines, retinoid-dependent TIG3 induction is observed in lines that are growth suppressed by retinoids but not in nonresponsive lines. Transient over-expression of TIG3 in T47D or Chinese hamster ovary cells inhibits colony expansion. Finally, studies in 293 cells expressing TIG3 linked to an inducible promoter demonstrated decreased proliferation with increased TIG3 levels. These studies suggest that TIG3 may be a growth regulator that mediates some of the growth suppressive effects of retinoids.

Previously, we showed that retinoic acid (RA) binds to the mannose-6-phosphate/insulin-like growth factor II receptor (M6P/IGF2R) with high affinity, suggesting that M6P/IGF2R may be a receptor for RA. Here, we show that RA, after 2-3 h of incubation with cultured neonatal-rat cardiac fibroblasts, dramatically alters the intracellular distribution of M6P/IGF2R as well as that of cathepsin B (a lysosomal protease bearing M6P). Immunofluorescence techniques indicate that this change in intracellular distribution is characterized by a shift of the proteins from the perinuclear area to cytoplasmic vesicles. The effect of RA was neither blocked by an RA nuclear receptor antagonist (AGN193109) nor mimicked by a selective RA nuclear-receptor agonist (TTNPB). Furthermore, the RA-induced translocation of cathepsin B was not observed in M6P/IGF2R-deficient P388D1 cells but occurred in stably transfected P388D1 cells expressing the receptor, suggesting that the effect of RA might be the result of direct interaction with M6P/IGF2R, rather than the result of binding to the nuclear receptors. These observations not only support the idea that M6P/IGF2R mediates an RA-response pathway but also indicate a role for RA in control of intracellular trafficking of lysosomal enzymes. Therefore, our observations may have important implications for the understanding of the diverse biological effects of retinoids.

Asymmetric expression of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) in Hensen's node of the chicken embryo plays a key role in the genetic cascade that controls left-right asymmetry, but its involvement in left-right specification in other vertebrates remains unclear. We show that mouse embryos lacking Shh display a variety of laterality defects, including pulmonary left isomerism, alterations of heart looping, and randomization of axial turning. Expression of the left-specific gene Lefty-1 is absent in [Shh.sup.-/-] embryos, suggesting that the observed laterality defects could be the result of the lack of Lefty-1. We also demonstrate that retinoic acid (RA) controls Lefty-1 expression in a pathway downstream or parallel to Shh. Further, we provide evidence that RA controls left-right development across vertebrate species. Thus, the roles of Shh and RA in left-right specification indeed are conserved among vertebrates, and the Shh and RA pathways converge in the control of Lefty-1.