1: Toxicology. 2004 Aug 5;200(2-3):235-46. Interactions at a dioxin responsive element (DRE) and an overlapping kappaB site within the hs4 domain of the 3'alpha immunoglobulin heavy chain enhancer. Sulentic CE, Kang JS, Na YJ, Kaminski NE. Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, 315 National Food Safety & Toxicology Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824, USA. Our previous results describing the CH12.LX (AhR-expressing) and BCL-1 (AhR-deficient) B cell lines have supported an AhR/dioxin-responsive element (DRE)-mediated mechanism for TCDD-induced inhibition of micro heavy chain expression and thus of IgM secretion. Transcriptional regulation of the Ig heavy chain genes involves several regulatory elements including the 3'alpha Ig heavy chain enhancer, which is composed of four regulatory domains that span approximately 40 kb. One of these domains, hs4, contains a DRE-like site that overlaps a kappaB motif. We have previously demonstrated TCDD-inducible binding of both the AhR nuclear complex and NF-kappaB/Rel proteins to the DRE and kappaB motifs, respectively, as well as TCDD and LPS-induced transcriptional activity through the hs4 domain. The objective of the present study was to determine if the AhR nuclear complex and NF-kappaB/Rel proteins converge at these two overlapping cis-elements and act cooperatively to influence enhancer activity. To eliminate the potential influence of other transcription factors which bind to the hs4 domain, the approach was to construct a series of luciferase reporters containing a variable heavy chain (VH) promoter and a 42 bp fragment of the 1.4 kb hs4 regulatory domain, that included only the overlapping DRE and kappaB motif or mutations of these motifs for transient transfection experiments in CH12.LX and BCL-1 cells. In the CH12.LX cells, TCDD activated the hs4 fragment; however, co-treatment with LPS led to a marked and synergistic activation as previously observed with the wild type 1.4 kb hs4 domain. Mutation of either or both of the DRE and kappaB motifs diminished the effect of TCDD and LPS on the luciferase reporters possessing the 42 bp portion of hs4, and resembled the effect of these treatments on the promoter alone. In the BCL-1 cells, activity of the hs4 fragment was not induced by TCDD and/or LPS treatment. These results suggest that the AhR nuclear complex and NF-kappaB/Rel proteins converge at the DRE and kappaB motif to influence transcriptional activity of the hs4 enhancer fragment. PMID: 15212819 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 2: Environ Health. 2003 Dec 16;2(1):16. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists suppress interleukin-6 expression by bone marrow stromal cells: an immunotoxicology study. Jensen BA, Leeman RJ, Schlezinger JJ, Sherr DH. Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA. bjensEn@bu.edu BACKGROUND: Bone marrow stromal cells produce cytokines required for the normal growth and development of all eight hematopoietic cell lineages. Aberrant cytokine production by stromal cells contributes to blood cell dyscrasias. Consequently, factors that alter stromal cell cytokine production may significantly compromise the development of normal blood cells. We have shown that environmental chemicals, such as aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists, suppress B lymphopoiesis by modulating bone marrow stromal cell function. Here, we extend these studies to evaluate the potential for two prototypic AhR agonists, 7,12-dimethylbenz [a]anthracene (DMBA) and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), to alter stromal cell cytokine responses. METHODS: Bone marrow stromal cells were treated with AhR agonists and bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic innate inflammatory cytokine responses and to study the effects of AhR ligands on those responses. Steady state cytokine RNA levels were screened by RNAse protection assays (RPA) and quantified by real-time PCR. Cytokine (IL-6) protein production was measured by ELISA. NF-kappaB EMSAs were used to study IL-6 transcriptional regulation. RESULTS: RPAs indicated that AhR+ bone marrow stromal cells consistently up-regulated genes encoding IL-6 and LIF in response to LPS, presumably through activation of Toll-like receptor 4. Pre-treatment with low doses of DMBA or TCDD selectively abrogated IL-6 gene induction but had no effect on LIF mRNA. Real-time-PCR indicated a significant inhibition of IL-6 mRNA by AhR ligands within 1 hour of LPS challenge which was reflected in a profound down-regulation of IL-6 protein induction, with DMBA and TCDD suppressing IL-6 levels as much as 65% and 88%, respectively. This potent inhibitory effect persisted for at least 72 hours. EMSAs measuring NF-kappaB binding to IL-6 promoter sequences, an event known to induce IL-6 transcription, indicated a significant decrease in the LPS-mediated induction of DNA-binding RelA/p50 and c-Rel/p50 heterodimers in the presence of DMBA. CONCLUSIONS: Common environmental AhR agonists can suppress the response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide, a model for innate inflammatory responses, through down-regulation of IL-6, a cytokine critical to the growth of several hematopoietic cell subsets, including early B cells. This suppression occurs at least at the level of IL-6 gene transcription and may be regulated by NF-kappaB. PMID: 14678569 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 3: Mol Pharmacol. 2002 Sep;62(3):722-8. 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin suppresses tumor necrosis factor-alpha and anti-CD40-induced activation of NF-kappaB/Rel in dendritic cells: p50 homodimer activation is not affected. Ruby CE, Leid M, Kerkvliet NI. Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, and Environmental Health Science Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA. 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) suppresses many immune responses, both innate and adaptive. Suppression is mediated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated transcription factor. The AhR mediates TCDD toxicity presumably through the alteration of transcriptional events, either by promoting gene expression or potentially by physically interacting with other transcription factors. Another transcription factor, NF-kappaB/Rel, is involved in several signaling pathways in immune cells and is crucial for generating effective immune responses. Dendritic cells (DCs), considered to be the "pacemakers" of the immune system, were recently recognized as targets of TCDD and are also dependent on NF-kappaB/Rel for activation and survival. In these studies, we investigated whether TCDD would alter the activation of NF-kappaB/Rel in DCs. The dendritic cell line DC2.4 was exposed to TCDD before treatment with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) or anti-CD40, and NF-kappaB/Rel activation was measured by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and immunoblotting. TCDD suppressed the binding of NF-kappaB/Rel to its cognate response element in TNF-alpha- and anti-CD40-treated cells and blocked translocation to the nucleus. The AhR was shown to associate with RelA, after coimmunoprecipitation, and seemed to block its binding to DNA. It is noteworthy that p50 homodimers freely bound to DNA. These results suggest that TCDD may alter the balance between NF-kappaB/Rel heterodimers and transcriptional inhibitory p50 homodimers in DCs, leading to defects in the DCs and suppression of the immune response. PMID: 12181450 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 4: Oncogene. 2000 Nov 16;19(48):5498-506. The RelA NF-kappaB subunit and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) cooperate to transactivate the c-myc promoter in mammary cells. Kim DW, Gazourian L, Quadri SA, Romieu-Mourez R, Sherr DH, Sonenshein GE. Department of Biochemistry, Women's Health, Boston University School of Medicine, Massachusetts 02118, USA. NF-kappaB/Rel transcription factors regulate many genes involved in control of cellular proliferation, neoplastic transformation, and apoptosis, including the c-myc oncogene. Recently, we have observed that levels of NF-kappaB and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which mediates malignant transformation by environmental carcinogens, are highly elevated and appear constitutively active in breast cancer cells. Rel factors have been found to functionally interact with other transcription factors. Here we demonstrate a physical and functional association between the RelA subunit of NF-kappaB and AhR resulting in the activation of c-myc gene transcription in breast cancer cells. RelA and AhR proteins were co-immunoprecipitated from cytoplasmic and nuclear extracts of non-malignant MCF-10F breast epithelial and malignant Hs578T breast cancer cells. In transient co-transfection, RelA and AhR gene products demonstrated cooperation in transactivation of the c-myc promoter, which was dependent on the NF-kappaB elements, and in induction of endogenous c-Myc protein levels. A novel AhR/RelA-containing NF-kappaB element binding complex was identified by electrophoretic mobility shift analysis of nuclear extracts from RelA and AhR co-transfected Hs578T cells. Thus, the RelA and AhR proteins functionally cooperate to bind to NF-kappaB elements and induce c-myc gene expression. These findings suggest a novel signaling mechanism whereby the Ah receptor can stimulate proliferation and tumorigenesis of mammary cells. PMID: 11114727 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 5: J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2000 Nov;295(2):705-16. Putative link between transcriptional regulation of IgM expression by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor/dioxin-responsive enhancer signaling pathway. Sulentic CE, Holsapple MP, Kaminski NE. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA. The B-cell, a major cellular component of humoral immunity, has been identified as a sensitive target of 2,3,7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). The actual molecular mechanism responsible for the immunotoxic effects produced by TCDD is unclear; however, many of the biological effects produced by TCDD are thought to be mediated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Using the CH12.LX B-cell line, the present studies show that inhibition of mu gene expression and IgM protein secretion by polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin congeners follow a structure-activity relationship for AhR binding. Furthermore, these effects may be mediated by the two dioxin-responsive enhancer (DRE)-like sites that were identified within the Ig heavy chain 3'alpha-enhancer. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay-Western analysis demonstrated TCDD-induced binding of the AhR nuclear complex to both DRE-like sites as well as TCDD-induced binding of several nuclear factor-kappa B/Rel proteins to a kappa B site, which overlaps one of the DRE-like sites. Interestingly, kappa B binding in the AhR-deficient BCL-1 B-cells was also induced by TCDD, demonstrating an AhR-independent effect of TCDD on kappa B binding. Taken together, these results support an AhR/DRE-mediated mechanism for TCDD-induced inhibition of IgM expression. PMID: 11046109 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] ---------------------------------------------------------------