Structural basis for iloprost as a dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha/delta agonist.
Jin, L., Lin, S., Rong, H., Zheng, S., Jin, S., Wang, R., Li, Y.(2011) J Biol Chem 286: 31473-31479
- PubMed: 21775429 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M111.266023
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
3SP6, 3SP9 - PubMed Abstract: 
Iloprost is a prostacyclin analog that has been used to treat many vascular conditions. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-regulated transcription factors with various important biological effects such as metabolic and cardiovascular physiology. Here, we report the crystal structures of the PPAR¦Á ligand-binding domain and PPAR¦Ä ligand-binding domain bound to iloprost, thus providing unambiguous evidence for the direct interaction between iloprost and PPARs and a structural basis for the recognition of PPAR¦Á/¦Ä by this prostacyclin analog. In addition to conserved contacts for all PPAR¦Á ligands, iloprost also initiates several specific interactions with PPARs using its unique structural groups. Structural and functional studies of receptor-ligand interactions reveal strong functional correlations of the iloprost-PPAR¦Á/¦Ä interactions as well as the molecular basis of PPAR subtype selectivity toward iloprost ligand. As such, the structural mechanism may provide a more rational template for designing novel compounds targeting PPARs with more favorable pharmacologic impact based on existing iloprost drugs.
Organizational Affiliation: 
State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Fujian 361005, China.