Non-monotonic dose-response relationship in steroid hormone receptor-mediated gene expression

Abstract

Steroid hormone receptors are the targets of many environmental endocrine active chemicals (EACs) and synthetic drugs used in hormone therapy. While most of these chemical compounds have a unidirectional and monotonic effect, certain EACs can display non-monotonic dose-response behaviors and some synthetic drugs are selective endocrine modulators. Mechanisms underlying these complex endocrine behaviors have not been fully understood. By formulating an ordinary differential equation-based computational model, we investigated in this study the steady-state dose-response behavior of exogenous steroid ligands in an endogenous hormonal background under various parameter conditions. Our simulation revealed that non-monotonic dose-responses in gene expression can arise within the classical genomic framework of steroid signaling. Specifically, when the exogenous ligand is an agonist, a U-shaped dose-response appears as a result of the inherently nonlinear process of receptor homodimerization. This U-shaped dose-response curve can be further modulated by mixed-ligand heterodimers formed between endogenous ligand-bound and exogenous ligand-bound receptor monomers. When the heterodimer is transcriptionally inactive or repressive, the magnitude of U-shape increases; conversely, when the heterodimer is transcriptionally active, the magnitude of U-shape decreases. Additionally, we found that an inverted U-shaped dose-response can arise when the heterodimer is a strong transcription activator regardless of whether the exogenous ligand is an agonist or antagonist. Our work provides a novel mechanism for non-monotonic, particularly U-shaped, dose-response behaviors observed with certain steroid mimics, and may help not only understand how selective steroid receptor modulators work but also improve risk assessment for EACs. © 2007 Society for Endocrinology.