Development of an exonuclease protection mediated PCR bioassay for sensitive detection of Ah receptor agonists.

The aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates many of the biological and toxicological effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD, dioxin) and related chemicals. Here we developed a novel method to detect the presence of AhR ligands using Exonuclease Protection Mediated PCR bioassay (EPM-PCR). This assay measures the ability of a chemical to activate AhR DNA binding in vitro.