The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor: Connecting Immunity to the Microenvironment

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...

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor in tumor immunity

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) binds environmental toxins and mediates immune regulation. The tryptophan metabolite kynurenine has now been identified as an endogenous ligand of the human AHR constitutively produced by gliomas and other types of cancer via tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase (TDO), thereby suppressing antitumor immune responses via the AHR. Thus, this pathway represents an importan...

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor control of adaptive immunity.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that belongs to the family of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors. Although the AhR was initially recognized as the receptor mediating the pathologic effects of dioxins and other pollutants, the activation of AhR by endogenous and environmental factors has important physiologic effects, including the regulat...

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activation

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...