title: Aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor DNA-binding activity. Sequence specificity and Zn2+ requirement.
abstract: The aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor, also called the xenobiotic or TCDD receptor, mediates transcriptional activation of the cytochrome P-450c (CYP1A1) gene by interacting with Ah or xenobiotic response elements. This paper presents evidence that a metal ion, probably Zn2+, is an essential cofactor for the Ah receptor. This paper also maps in detail the interactions between the Ah response element XRE1 and the Ah receptor from the rat hepatocyte-derived cell line LCS7. Interactions were mapped by three methods, 1) methylation interference footprinting, 2) mobility shift competition experiments, using a series of synthetic oligonucleotides with systematic alterations in the Ah response element core sequence, and 3) orthophenanthroline/Cu+ footprinting. These findings suggest the following consensus sequence for DNA recognition by the Ah receptor: CNA/TNA/TCACGCA/TA/T. The chelators 1,10-phenanthroline and oxalic acid inhibited the sequence-specific DNA-binding activity of the AH receptor in a concentration dependent manner, suggesting that the DNA-binding activity of the receptor requires divalent metal ions. Inhibition was due to metal-chelation, since: 1) inhibition was almost completely prevented by the presence of Zn2+, or other divalent metal ions having high affinity for the chelators used, while metal ions with low affinity did not protect; 2) the DNA-binding activity of the receptor could be restored by dialysis to remove 1,10-phenanthroline, but only in the presence of Zn2+, while dialysis in the absence of metal ions reversed inhibition by the nonchelating isomer 4,7-phenanthroline. The involvement of a divalent cation in receptor function, possibly bound via sulfhydryls, was also suggested by the finding that Cd2+ and Co2+ inhibited DNA-binding activity. Once bound to the XRE1 DNA sequence, the receptor could not be inhibited by 1,10-phenanthroline, suggesting that the essential metal ion must become inaccessible to chelation when the receptor binds DNA. The Zn2+ requirement of the Ah receptor is similar to that of the estrogen and the glucocorticoid receptors and is consistent with the hypothesis that the Ah receptor is a member of the steroid and thyroid hormone receptor superfamily.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biology Laboratory, Maharishi International University, Fairfield, Iowa 52556.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saatcioglu
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Pasco
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Fagan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D002413:Cations, Divalent; D002460:Cell Line; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D008745:Methylation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009710:Nucleotide Mapping; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000378:metabolism; D010070:Oxalates / Q000494:pharmacology; D019815:Oxalic Acid; D010618:Phenanthrolines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon; D011955:Receptors, Drug / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D015032:Zinc / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002413:Cations, Divalent; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D010070:Oxalates; D010618:Phenanthrolines; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon; D011955:Receptors, Drug; D004247:DNA; D019815:Oxalic Acid; D015032:Zinc; C025205:1,10-phenanthroline