RXR isoforms and endogenous retinoids in the fiddler crab, Uca pugilator

The pleiotropic effects of circulating ecdysteroids in the adult fiddler crab, Uca pugilator, during molting, regeneration, and reproduction are mediated by a limited number of receptor proteins. We hypothesize that hormonal effects in vivo may be the result of complex interactions between at least two receptor heterodimer conformations that differentially respond to multiple ecdysteroid/retinoid signals. Two splicing variants of the fiddler crab retinoid-X-receptor (UpRXR) differ from one another by the addition of a 33 amino acid insert in the ligand-binding domain. We show here that the ecdysteroid receptor in the fiddler crab (UpEcR) behaves differently depending upon the UpRXR isoform with which it is partnered. The two UpRXR variant partners for UpEcR confer slightly different responses in the binding of Ponasterone A (PA)—a naturally occurring ecdysteroid in the blood of Uca. UpRXR can bind 9-cis retinoic acid (9cRA) as well as terpenoids. 9cRA and the naturally occurring terpenoid, methyl farnesoate, influence the binding of PA to UpEcR/UpRXR dimers. Endogenous retinoids are found in the blastema of regenerating limbs of Uca and they (plus blood-borne terpenoids) may add additional levels of differential response by target tissues. Thus, the two sets of heterodimers tested here may represent different dynamic complexes whose properties are defined by the specific heterodimeric subunits involved and the specific ligands available.