scholarly journals Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Connects Inflammation to Breast Cancer

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (15) ◽  
pp. 5264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiziana Guarnieri
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor ◽  
Inflammatory Marker ◽  
Eukaryotic Cells ◽  
Breast Carcinogenesis ◽  
Constitutive Activation ◽  
Aryl Hydrocarbon ◽  
Over Time

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), an evolutionary conserved transcription factor, is a pleiotropic signal transductor. Thanks to its promiscuous ligand binding domain, during the evolution of eukaryotic cells its developmental functions were integrated with biosensor functions. Its activation by a multitude of endogenous and exogenous molecules stimulates its participation in several pathways, some of which are linked to inflammation and breast cancer (BC). Over time, the study of this malignancy has led to the identification of several therapeutic targets in cancer cells. An intense area of study is dedicated to BC phenotypes lacking adequate targets. In this context, due to its high constitutive activation in BC, AhR is currently gaining more and more attention. In this review, I have considered its interactions with: 1. the immune system, whose dysregulation is a renowned cancer hallmark; 2. interleukin 6 (IL6) which is a pivotal inflammatory marker and is closely correlated to breast cancer risk; 3. NF-kB, another evolutionary conserved transcription factor, which plays a key role in immunoregulatory functions, inflammatory response and breast carcinogenesis; 4. kynurenine, a tryptophan-derived ligand that activates and bridges AhR to chronic inflammation and breast carcinogenesis. Overall, the data here presented form an interesting framework where AhR is an interesting connector between inflammation and BC.

scholarly journals Trajectory Shifts in Interdisciplinary Research of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor—A Personal Perspective on Thymus and Skin

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1844
Author(s):  
Charlotte Esser
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Environmental Pollution ◽  
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor ◽  
Interdisciplinary Research ◽  
Adaptive Response ◽  
Personal Perspective ◽  
Aryl Hydrocarbon

Identifying historical trajectories is a useful exercise in research, as it helps clarify important, perhaps even “paradigmatic”, shifts in thinking and moving forward in science. In this review, the development of research regarding the role of the transcription factor “aryl hydrocarbon receptor” (AHR) as a mediator of the toxicity of environmental pollution towards a link between the environment and a healthy adaptive response of the immune system and the skin is discussed. From this fascinating development, the opportunities for targeting the AHR in the therapy of many diseases become clear.

scholarly journals Gut SymbiontsLactobacillus reuteriR2lc and 2010 Encode a Polyketide Synthase Cluster That Activates the Mammalian Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor

2018 ◽  
Vol 85 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Özçam ◽  
Restituto Tocmo ◽  
Jee-Hwan Oh ◽  
Amin Afrazi ◽  
Joshua D. Mezrich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor ◽  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Polyketide Synthase ◽  
Lactobacillus Reuteri ◽  
Intestinal Inflammation ◽  
Host Immune System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Aryl Hydrocarbon

ABSTRACTA mechanistic understanding of microbe-host interactions is critical to developing therapeutic strategies for targeted modulation of the host immune system. Different members of the gut symbiont speciesLactobacillus reuterimodulate host health by, for example, reduction of intestinal inflammation. Previously, it was shown thatL. reuteriactivates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated transcription factor that plays an important role in the mucosal immune system, by the production of tryptophan catabolites. Here, we identified a novel pathway by whichL. reuteriactivates AhR, which is independent of tryptophan metabolism. We screened a library of 36 L. reuteristrains and determined that R2lc and 2010, strains with a pigmented phenotype, are potent AhR activators. By whole-genome sequencing and comparative genomics, we identified genes unique to R2lc and 2010. Our analyses demonstrated that R2lc harbors two genetically distinct polyketide synthase (PKS) clusters, functionally unknown (fun) andpks, each carried by a multicopy plasmid. Inactivation ofpks, but notfun, abolished the ability of R2lc to activate AhR.L. reuteri2010 has a gene cluster homologous to thepkscluster in R2lc with an identical gene organization, which is also responsible for AhR activation. In conclusion, we identified a novel PKS pathway inL. reuteriR2lc and 2010 that is responsible for AhR activation.IMPORTANCETemporary changes in the composition of the microbiota, for example, by oral administration of probiotics, can modulate the host immune system. However, the underlying mechanisms by which probiotics interact with the host are often unknown. Here, we show thatLactobacillus reuteriR2lc and 2010 harbor an orthologous PKS gene cluster that activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). AhR is a ligand-activated transcription factor that plays a key role in a variety of diseases, including amelioration of intestinal inflammation. Understanding the mechanism by which a bacterium modulates the immune system is critical for applying rational selection strategies for probiotic supplementation. Finally, heterologous and/or optimized expression of PKS is a logical next step toward the development of next-generation probiotics to prevent and treat disease.

scholarly journals Immunotoxicity of Xenobiotics in Fish: A Role for the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR)?

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (17) ◽  
pp. 9460
Author(s):  
Helmut Segner ◽  
Christyn Bailey ◽  
Carolina Tafalla ◽  
Jun Bo
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor ◽  
Disease Susceptibility ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Immune Gene ◽  
Immune Systems ◽  
Aryl Hydrocarbon ◽  
The Impact

The impact of anthropogenic contaminants on the immune system of fishes is an issue of growing concern. An important xenobiotic receptor that mediates effects of chemicals, such as halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (HAHs) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), is the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Fish toxicological research has focused on the role of this receptor in xenobiotic biotransformation as well as in causing developmental, cardiac, and reproductive toxicity. However, biomedical research has unraveled an important physiological role of the AhR in the immune system, what suggests that this receptor could be involved in immunotoxic effects of environmental contaminants. The aims of the present review are to critically discuss the available knowledge on (i) the expression and possible function of the AhR in the immune systems of teleost fishes; and (ii) the impact of AhR-activating xenobiotics on the immune systems of fish at the levels of immune gene expression, immune cell proliferation and immune cell function, immune pathology, and resistance to infectious disease. The existing information indicates that the AhR is expressed in the fish immune system, but currently, we have little understanding of its physiological role. Exposure to AhR-activating contaminants results in the modulation of numerous immune structural and functional parameters of fish. Despite the diversity of fish species studied and the experimental conditions investigated, the published findings rather uniformly point to immunosuppressive actions of xenobiotic AhR ligands in fish. These effects are often associated with increased disease susceptibility. The fact that fish populations from HAH- and PAH-contaminated environments suffer immune disturbances and elevated disease susceptibility highlights that the immunotoxic effects of AhR-activating xenobiotics bear environmental relevance.

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