Androgen Receptor Signalling in Prostate Cancer: The Functional Consequences of Acetylation

Figure 2

Role of acetylation in AR-regulated transcription. In general terms, ligand-dependent transcriptional activation by the AR can be described as follows: (1) ligand-bound AR dissociates from cytoplasmic heat-shock complexes and enters the nucleus. (2) AR binds to specific DNA sequences termed androgen response elements (AREs) and recruits members of the basal transcriptional apparatus. (3) AR recruits a variety of coregulators, which may serve to provide “platforms” for additional coregulator recruitment, regulate the architecture of chromatin directly, and ultimately intensify transcription from target genes. HATs function at a variety of stages including (i) direct acetylation of AR, (ii) acetylation of chromatin, and (iii) acetylation of other factors involved in transcriptional regulation. See text for details.