title: Activation of avian aryl hydrocarbon receptor and inter-species sensitivity variations by polychlorinated diphenylsulfides.
abstract: It was hypothesized that polychlorinated diphenyl sulfides (PCDPSs) can potentially interact with an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and thereby cause adverse effects in wildlife like birds. A recently developed avian AHR1-luciferase report gene (LRG) assay was used to assess the interaction between avian AHR1 and 18 PCDPSs and to compare the interspecies sensitivity among chicken, ring-necked pheasant, and Japanese quail by PCDPSs. Most of the tested PCDPSs could activate the AHR1-mediated pathways in avian species, and the relative potency (ReP) of the PCDPSs increased with the increasing number of substituted Cl atoms. The rank orders of PCDPSs potency were generally similar among birds, although the ReP varied. In addition, not all the sensitivity rank orders of avian AHR1 constructs for PCDPSs were consistent with that of TCDD. ReP values of PCDPSs suggested that some PCDPSs like 2,3,3',4,5,6-hexa-CDPS and 2,2',3,3',4,5,6-hepta-CDPS are higher than the avian WHO-TEFs of OctaCDD, OctaCDF, and most of the coplanar PCBs. Our results report for the first time the activation of an AHR1-mediated molecular toxicological mechanism by PCDPSs, and provide the ranking of ReP and relative sensitivity values of different congeners, which could guide the further toxicity test of this group of potential high priority environmental pollutants.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University , Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiaowei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Junjiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ruijuan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Jiamin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zunyao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hongxia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D019556:COS Cells; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D046094:Galliformes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008156:Luciferases; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013440:Sulfides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon; D013440:Sulfides; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D008156:Luciferases