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Event: 286

Key Event Title

A descriptive phrase which defines a discrete biological change that can be measured. More help

Altered, Transcription of genes by the androgen receptor

Short name
The KE short name should be a reasonable abbreviation of the KE title and is used in labelling this object throughout the AOP-Wiki. More help
Altered, Transcription of genes by the AR
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Biological Context

Structured terms, selected from a drop-down menu, are used to identify the level of biological organization for each KE. More help
Level of Biological Organization
Tissue

Organ term

The location/biological environment in which the event takes place.The biological context describes the location/biological environment in which the event takes place.  For molecular/cellular events this would include the cellular context (if known), organ context, and species/life stage/sex for which the event is relevant. For tissue/organ events cellular context is not applicable.  For individual/population events, the organ context is not applicable.  Further information on Event Components and Biological Context may be viewed on the attached pdf. More help

Key Event Components

The KE, as defined by a set structured ontology terms consisting of a biological process, object, and action with each term originating from one of 14 biological ontologies (Ives, et al., 2017; https://aopwiki.org/info_pages/2/info_linked_pages/7#List). Biological process describes dynamics of the underlying biological system (e.g., receptor signalling).Biological process describes dynamics of the underlying biological system (e.g., receptor signaling).  The biological object is the subject of the perturbation (e.g., a specific biological receptor that is activated or inhibited). Action represents the direction of perturbation of this system (generally increased or decreased; e.g., ‘decreased’ in the case of a receptor that is inhibited to indicate a decrease in the signaling by that receptor).  Note that when editing Event Components, clicking an existing Event Component from the Suggestions menu will autopopulate these fields, along with their source ID and description.  To clear any fields before submitting the event component, use the 'Clear process,' 'Clear object,' or 'Clear action' buttons.  If a desired term does not exist, a new term request may be made via Term Requests.  Event components may not be edited; to edit an event component, remove the existing event component and create a new one using the terms that you wish to add.  Further information on Event Components and Biological Context may be viewed on the attached pdf. More help
Process Object Action
regulation of gene expression androgen receptor decreased

Key Event Overview

AOPs Including This Key Event

All of the AOPs that are linked to this KE will automatically be listed in this subsection. This table can be particularly useful for derivation of AOP networks including the KE.Clicking on the name of the AOP will bring you to the individual page for that AOP. More help
AOP Name Role of event in AOP Point of Contact Author Status OECD Status
AR antagonism leading to foetal feminisation KeyEvent Mukesh Patel (send email) Open for adoption
Decreased testosterone synthesis leading to short AGD KeyEvent Terje Svingen (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite Under Development
AR antagonism leading to NR KeyEvent Terje Svingen (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite Under Development
AR antagonism leading to decreased fertility KeyEvent Terje Svingen (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite Under Development
5α-reductase inhibition leading to short AGD KeyEvent Terje Svingen (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite Under Development
Androgen receptor activation leading to prostate cancer KeyEvent Jianxiang Li (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite

Taxonomic Applicability

Latin or common names of a species or broader taxonomic grouping (e.g., class, order, family) that help to define the biological applicability domain of the KE.In many cases, individual species identified in these structured fields will be those for which the strongest evidence used in constructing the AOP was available in relation to this KE. More help
Term Scientific Term Evidence Link
Vertebrates Vertebrates High NCBI

Life Stages

An indication of the the relevant life stage(s) for this KE. More help
Life stage Evidence
During development and at adulthood High

Sex Applicability

An indication of the the relevant sex for this KE. More help
Term Evidence
Mixed High

Key Event Description

A description of the biological state being observed or measured, the biological compartment in which it is measured, and its general role in the biology should be provided. More help

This KE refers to transcription of genes by the androgen receptor (AR) as occurring in complex biological systems such as tissues and organs in vivo.

The Androgen Receptor and its function

The AR belongs to the steroid hormone nuclear receptor family. It is a ligand-activated transcription factor with three domains: the N-terminal domain, the DNA-binding domain, and the ligand-binding domain with the latter being the most evolutionary conserved (Davey and Grossmann 2016). Androgens (such as dihydrotestosterone and testosterone) are AR ligands and act by binding to the AR in androgen-responsive tissues (Davey and Grossmann 2016). Human AR mutations and mouse knockout models have established a fundamental role for AR in masculinization and spermatogenesis (Maclean et al.; Walters et al. 2010; Rana et al. 2014). The AR is also expressed in many other tissues such as bone, muscles, ovaries and within the immune system (Rana et al. 2014).

Altered transcription of genes by the AR as a Key Event

Upon activation by ligand-binding, the AR translocates from the cytoplasm to the cell nucleus, dimerizes, binds to androgen response elements in the DNA to modulate gene transcription (Davey and Grossmann 2016). The transcriptional targets vary between cells and tissues, as well as with developmental stages and is also dependent on available co-regulators (Bevan and Parker 1999; Heemers and Tindall 2007). It should also be mentioned that the AR can work in other ‘non-canonial’ ways such as non-genomic signaling, and ligand-independent activation (Davey & Grossmann, 2016; Estrada et al, 2003; Jin et al, 2013).

A large number of known, and proposed, target genes of AR canonical signaling have been identified by analysis of gene expression following treatments with AR agonists (Bolton et al. 2007; Ngan et al. 2009, Jin et al. 2013).

How It Is Measured or Detected

A description of the type(s) of measurements that can be employed to evaluate the KE and the relative level of scientific confidence in those measurements.These can range from citation of specific validated test guidelines, citation of specific methods published in the peer reviewed literature, or outlines of a general protocol or approach (e.g., a protein may be measured by ELISA). Do not provide detailed protocols. More help

Altered transcription of genes by the AR can be measured by measuring the transcription level of known downstream target genes by RT-qPCR or other transcription analyses approaches, e.g. transcriptomics.

Domain of Applicability

A description of the scientific basis for the indicated domains of applicability and the WoE calls (if provided).  More help

Both the DNA-binding and ligand-binding domains of the AR are highly evolutionary conserved, whereas the transactivation domain show more divergence, which may affect AR-mediated gene regulation across species (Davey and Grossmann 2016). Despite certain inter-species differences, AR function mediated through gene expression is highly conserved, with mutation studies from both humans and rodents showing strong correlation for AR-dependent development and function (Walters et al. 2010). Likewise in fish, androgens are important for development of sexual characteristics (Ogino et al., 2014, 2023). One difference that must be mentioned is that in teleost fish, 11-ketotestosterone is the main androgen in addition to testosterone and DHT and that most teleosts have two ar ohnologs, ara and arb, with arb functioning in a similar manner to the AR in other vertebrates (Ogino et al., 2023).

This KE is considered broadly applicable across vertebrate taxa, sex and developmental stages, as all vertebrate animals express the AR in numerous cells and tissues where it regulates gene transcription required for developmental processes and function.

References

List of the literature that was cited for this KE description. More help

Bevan C, Parker M (1999) The role of coactivators in steroid hormone action. Exp. Cell Res. 253:349–356

Bolton EC, So AY, Chaivorapol C, et al (2007) Cell- and gene-specific regulation of primary target genes by the androgen receptor. Genes Dev 21:2005–2017. doi: 10.1101/gad.1564207

Davey RA, Grossmann M (2016) Androgen Receptor Structure, Function and Biology: From Bench to Bedside. Clin Biochem Rev 37:3–15

Estrada M, Espinosa A, Müller M, Jaimovich E (2003) Testosterone Stimulates Intracellular Calcium Release and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases Via a G Protein-Coupled Receptor in Skeletal Muscle Cells. Endocrinology 144:3586–3597. doi: 10.1210/en.2002-0164

Heemers H V., Tindall DJ (2007) Androgen receptor (AR) coregulators: A diversity of functions converging on and regulating the AR transcriptional complex. Endocr. Rev. 28:778–808

Jin, Hong Jian, Jung Kim, and Jindan Yu. 2013. “Androgen Receptor Genomic Regulation.” Translational Andrology and Urology 2(3):158–77. doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2223-4683.2013.09.01

Maclean HE, Chu S, Warne GL, Zajact JD Related Individuals with Different Androgen Receptor Gene Deletions

MacLeod DJ, Sharpe RM, Welsh M, et al (2010) Androgen action in the masculinization programming window and development of male reproductive organs. In: International Journal of Andrology. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, pp 279–287

Ngan S, Stronach EA, Photiou A, et al (2009) Microarray coupled to quantitative RT–PCR analysis of androgen-regulated genes in human LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Oncogene 28:2051–2063. doi: 10.1038/onc.2009.68

Ogino, Y., Ansai, S., Watanabe, E., Yasugi, M., Katayama, Y., Sakamoto, H., et al. (2023). Evolutionary differentiation of androgen receptor is responsible for sexual characteristic development in a teleost fish. Nat. Commun. 2023 141 14, 1–16. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-37026-6.

Ogino, Y., Hirakawa, I., Inohaya, K., Sumiya, E., Miyagawa, S., Denslow, N., et al. (2014). Bmp7 and Lef1 Are the Downstream Effectors of Androgen Signaling in Androgen-Induced Sex Characteristics Development in Medaka. Endocrinology 155, 449–462. doi:10.1210/EN.2013-1507.

Rana K, Davey RA, Zajac JD (2014) Human androgen deficiency: Insights gained from androgen receptor knockout mouse models. Asian J. Androl. 16:169–177

Walters KA, Simanainen U, Handelsman DJ (2010) Molecular insights into androgen actions in male and female reproductive function from androgen receptor knockout models. Hum Reprod Update 16:543–558. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dmq003