title: Transcriptional signatures of immune cells in aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR)-proficient and AHR-deficient mice.
abstract: The ligand-activated aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is known to modulate many genes in a highly cell-specific manner, either directly or indirectly via secondary effects. In contrast, little is known about the effects of AHR deficiency on gene expression balance. We compared the transcriptome of CD4 T cells from AHR-/- mice and wild-type mice; 390 genes, many of them immunotypic, were deregulated in AHR-deficient CD4 cells. TCDD-induced transcriptome changes correlated with the AHR expression level in immune cells. However, there was little overlap in AHR-dependent transcripts found in T lineage cells or dendritic cells. Our results demonstrate flexible gene accessibility for the AHR in immune cells. The idea of a universal battery of AHR-responsive genes is not tenable.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Umweltmedizinische Forschung (IUF) at the Heinrich-Heine University of Düsseldorf, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frericks
authors.forename: Vladimir V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Temchura
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Majora
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stutte
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Esser
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000235:genetics; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000494:pharmacology; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon