A Cell Model for Conditional Profiling of Androgen-Receptor-Interacting Proteins

Partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (PAIS) is associated with impaired male genital development and can be transmitted through mutations in the androgen receptor (AR). The aim of this study is to develop a cell model suitable for studying the impact AR mutations might have on AR interacting proteins. For this purpose, male genital development relevant mouse cell lines were genetically modified to express a tagged version of wild-type AR, allowing copurification of multiprotein complexes under native conditions followed by mass spectrometry. We report 57 known wild-type AR-interacting proteins identified in cells grown under proliferating and 65 under nonproliferating conditions. Of those, 47 were common to both samples suggesting different AR protein complex components in proliferating and proliferation-inhibited cells from the mouse proximal caput epididymus. These preliminary results now allow future studies to focus on replacing wild-type AR with mutant AR to uncover differences in protein interactions caused by AR mutations involved in PAIS.