Publications by authors named "Brett C Dinatale"

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) has been shown to play a role in an increasing number of cellular processes. Recent reports have linked the AhR to cell proliferation, cytoskeletal arrangement, and tumor invasiveness in various tumor cell types. The AhR plays a role in the de-repression of the interleukin (IL)6 promoter in certain tumor cell lines, allowing for increased transcriptional activation by cytokines.

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There is increasing evidence that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) plays a role in tumor progression through numerous mechanisms. We have previously shown that, in certain cancer cell lines that are typically nonresponsive to cytokine-mediated IL6 induction, activation of the AHR with the agonist 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin derepresses the IL6 promoter and allows for synergistic induction following IL1β treatment. The mechanism by which this occurs involves liganded AHR binding upstream from the transcription start site and dismissing HDAC-containing corepressor complexes, giving rise to a promoter structure that is more amenable to NF-κB activation.

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The putative cardioprotective and chemopreventive properties of the red wine phenolic resveratrol (RES) have made it the subject of a growing body of clinical and basic research. We have begun investigations focusing on the effects of RES on the activity of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) complex. Our evidence suggests that RES is a potent repressor of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)-inducible gene transcription in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive human breast, lung, and colon cancer cell lines.

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The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is the ligand-activated transcription factor responsible for mediating the toxicological effects of dioxin and xenobiotic metabolism. However, recent evidence has implicated the AHR in additional, nonmetabolic physiological processes, including immune regulation. Certain tumor cells are largely nonresponsive to cytokine-mediated induction of the pro-survival cytokine interleukin (IL) 6.

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The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates the toxicity of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. However, the role of the AHR in normal physiology is still an area of intense investigation. For example, this receptor plays an important role in certain immune responses.

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Current methods for determining and dissecting the function of a specific protein within a cell are laborious and limiting. We have developed a method by which endogenous protein levels are rapidly ablated and simultaneous expression of a designed, inserted variant takes place in the native setting. Through optimized electroporation, siRNA oligonucleotides and codon-optimized coding sequence containing vectors can be co-transfected, leading to expression of ectopic mRNA not targeted by siRNA.

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Article Synopsis
  • Inflammatory signaling, particularly through the cytokine IL-6, is crucial for tumor progression, with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) playing a significant role in IL-6 expression when activated by external ligands.
  • Screening of metabolites from the indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase pathway identified kynurenic acid (KA) as an effective agonist for AHR, which is necessary for inducing pathways relevant to tumor biology and metabolism.
  • Treatment with KA and inflammatory signals like interleukin-1beta in breast cancer cells leads to increased IL-6 production, highlighting KA's potential as an endogenous AHR ligand that can influence tumor behavior and metabolism at normal biological concentrations.
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The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor involved in the regulation of multiple cellular pathways, such as xenobiotic metabolism and Th17 cell differentiation. Identification of key physiologically relevant ligands that regulate AHR function remains to be accomplished. Screening of indole metabolites has identified indoxyl 3-sulfate (I3S) as a potent endogenous ligand that selectively activates the human AHR at nanomolar concentrations in primary human hepatocytes, regulating transcription of multiple genes, including CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP1B1, UGT1A1, UGT1A6, IL6, and SAA1.

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The concept of selective receptor modulators has been established for the nuclear steroid hormone receptors. Such selective modulators have been used therapeutically with great success in the treatment of cancer. However, this concept has not been examined with regard to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) because of the latent toxicity commonly associated with AHR activation.

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The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is regarded as an important homeostatic transcriptional regulator within physiological and pathophysiological processes, including xenobiotic metabolism, endocrine function, immunity, and cancer. Agonist activation of the AHR is considered deleterious based on toxicological evidence obtained with environmental pollutants, which mediate toxic effects through AHR. However, a multitude of plant-derived constituents, e.

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The pleiotropic cytokine interleukin 6 (IL-6) is involved in immune cell homeostasis. Additionally, IL-6 expression and signaling in tumor cells have been shown to elicit both protumor and antitumor properties. There is a plethora of mechanistic knowledge regarding how IL-6 signal transduction translates to biological responses.

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