Endocrine Abstracts

The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) differs from the other steroid receptors in that it responds to two physiological ligands, aldosterone and cortisol. In epithelial tissues, aldosterone selectivity is determined by the activity of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type II. The aldosterone-induced genes that mediate sodium flux in epithelial tissues are now well characterised. In other tissues, including the heart and regions of the CNS, cortisol is the primary ligand for...

Peter J Fuller, Prince Henry’s Institute, Clayton, Victoria, Australia. AbstractProfessor Fuller is an NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow at Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne where is the Associate Director and Head of the Steroid Receptor Biology Group. He is also Director of the Endocrinology Unit at the Monash Medical Centre/Southern Health and an Adjunct Professor in Medicine and ...

The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) has a modular domain structure containing a C-terminal ligand-binding domain (LBD) that consists of 11 α-helices (designated H1 to H12) organized in an antiparallel helical sandwich. The LBD undergoes a conformational change upon aldosterone binding such that H12 forms a stable interaction with helices 3, 4 and 5 to create an AF-2 domain, a hydrophobic cleft on the surface of the LBD, which serves as a docking platform for transcription...