Figure 1. Alignment of USP and RXR LBD sequences. The hvUSP and hsRXR residue numbering are given at the top and bottom of the alignment, respectively. The secondary structure is given as colored boxes according to hvUSP and hsRXR crystal structures. H indicates -helices and the -sheet. The color code for the amino acid conservation is as follows: white on black : 100 % conservation for USPs-RXRs; white on grey: 80 % conservation for USPs-RXRs; black on gray: 60 % conservation for USPs-RXRs; black on blue: 100 % conservation for Lepidopteran USPs; black on red: 100 % conservation for Dipteran USPs; black on magenta: 100 % conservation for Lepidopteran and Dipteran USPs; white on magenta: 80 % conservation for Lepidopteran and Dipteran USPs. The residues that interact with the 9-cis RA in hsRXR are indicated by green colored dots, those involved in the stabilization of helix 12 in the agonist conformation are indicated by magenta colored dots. The abbreviations for the different organisms are: bm: Bombyx mori; ma: Manduca Sexta; hv: Heliothis virescens; cf: Choristoneura fumiferana; dm: Drosophila melanogaster; lc: Lucilia cuprina; aa: Aedes aegypti; ae: Aedes albopictus; ct: Chironomus tentans; apm: Apis mellifera; lm: Locusta migratoria; tm: Tenebrio molitor; usrxr: Uca pugilator; ama: Amblyomma americanum; tc: Tripedalia cystophora; hs: Homo sapiens; mm: Mus musculus; br: Brachydanio rerio; dr: Danio rerio; ol: Oryzias latipes; sm: Scophthalmus maximus.