Another Important Biological Function for the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor

Another important biological function for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor.

For many years, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) had been studied primarily for its contribution to environmental chemical-induced organ toxicity or carcinogenicity.1–3 The prevailing paradigm fashioned from these studies held that activation of the cytosolic AhR by any one of a variety of environmental pollutants (eg, planar polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and d...

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activation

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor controls regulatory CD4+ T cell function.

The ligand activated transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) has been studied for many decades in toxicology as the ligand for the environmental contaminant dioxin. However, AhR has recently emerged as a critical physiological regulator of immune responses affecting both innate and adaptive systems, and several AhR ligands with different pharmacological profiles have recently been ...

The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor and Tumor Immunity

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is an important cytosolic, ligand-dependent transcription factor. Emerging evidence suggests the promoting role of the AhR in the initiation, promotion, progression, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells. Studies on various tumor types and tumor cell lines have shown high AhR expression, suggesting that AhR is activated constitutively in tumors and facilit...

Antioxidant Functions of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a transcription factor belonging to the basic helix-loop-helix/PER-ARNT-SIM family. It is activated by a variety of ligands, such as environmental contaminants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or dioxins, but also by naturally occurring compounds and endogenous ligands. Binding of the ligand leads to dimerization of the AhR with aryl hydrocarbon recep...