Antagonism of Human Adiponectin Receptors and Their Membrane Progesterone Receptor Paralogs by TNFα and a Ceramidase Inhibitor

The progestin and AdipoQ receptor (PAQR) family of proteins comprises three distinct structural classes, each with seemingly different agonist specificities. For example, Class I receptors, like the human adiponectin receptors (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2), sense proteins with a particular three-dimensional fold, while Class II receptors are nonclassical membrane receptors for the steroid hormone progesterone. Using a previously developed heterologous expression system to study PAQR receptor activity, we demonstrate that human PAQRs from all three classes are antagonized by both 1(S),2(R)-D-erythro-2-(N-myristoylamino)-1-phenyl-1-propanol, a ceramidase inhibitor, and TNF alpha, a homologue of adiponectin that functions antagonistically to both adiponectin and progesterone in human cells.