No description available.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) are ligand-activated transcription factors. Reciprocal crosstalk between these two receptor systems has been previously established but the exact molecular mechanisms of their interactions remain incompletely understood. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by DNA microarrays (ChIP-chip), I assessed the role of ERα in AHR signalling after dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin; TCDD) treatment in the T-47D human breast cancer cell line. I determined that ERα is recruited to a subset of AHR target genes suggesting that it is a gene-specific modulator of AHR activity. Transcription factor binding site analysis of our data set also revealed that forkhead motifs were over-represented, implying that they may be important in AHR signalling. To address this, I focused on the regulation of cyclin G2 (CCNG2) to determine the importance of FOXA1 (forkhead box A1) in AHR signalling. CCNG2 is a negative regulator of cell cycle and known to be repressed by ERα. Using ChIP, Co-IP, CCNG2 reporter gene constructs and RNA interference targeting FOXA1, I demonstrated that FOXA1 was important for the AHR-mediated and TCDD-dependent induction of CCNG2. Another finding from the ChIP-chip study was that AHR was recruited to estrogen target genes. To determine the importance of this I used zinc-finger nuclease mediated knockout of AHR and studied ERα signalling as well as the role of AHR in the cell cycle using breast cancer cell lines. Focusing on the regulatory regions of trefoil factor 1 (TFF-1) and gene upregulated in breast cancer 1 (GREB1) I determined that AHR had an inhibitory effect. Cell cycle analysis indicated that AHR facilitated cell cycle progression with cells accumulating in both the G¬1 and G2/M phases in the absence of AHR. My novel findings demonstrated the complexity of AHR-ERα crosstalk, its importance in the cell cycle, and the need for further study.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) are ligand-activated transcription factors. Reciprocal crosstalk between these two receptor systems has been previously established but the exact molecular mechanisms of their interactions remain incompletely understood. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by DNA microarrays (ChIP-chip), I assessed the role of ERα in AHR signalling after dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin; TCDD) treatment in the T-47D human breast cancer cell line. I determined that ERα is recruited to a subset of AHR target genes suggesting that it is a gene-specific modulator of AHR activity. Transcription factor binding site analysis of our data set also revealed that forkhead motifs were over-represented, implying that they may be important in AHR signalling. To address this, I focused on the regulation of cyclin G2 (CCNG2) to determine the importance of FOXA1 (forkhead box A1) in AHR signalling. CCNG2 is a negative regulator of cell cycle and known to be repressed by ERα. Using ChIP, Co-IP, CCNG2 reporter gene constructs and RNA interference targeting FOXA1, I demonstrated that FOXA1 was important for the AHR-mediated and TCDD-dependent induction of CCNG2. Another finding from the ChIP-chip study was that AHR was recruited to estrogen target genes. To determine the importance of this I used zinc-finger nuclease mediated knockout of AHR and studied ERα signalling as well as the role of AHR in the cell cycle using breast cancer cell lines. Focusing on the regulatory regions of trefoil factor 1 (TFF-1) and gene upregulated in breast cancer 1 (GREB1) I determined that AHR had an inhibitory effect. Cell cycle analysis indicated that AHR facilitated cell cycle progression with cells accumulating in both the G¬1 and G2/M phases in the absence of AHR. My novel findings demonstrated the complexity of AHR-ERα crosstalk, its importance in the cell cycle, and the need for further study.

2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)-inducible poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (TiPARP/ARTD14) is a member of the ARTD family and is regulated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR); however, little is known about TiPARP function. In this study we examined the catalytic function of TiPARP and determined its role in AHR transactivation. We observed that TiPARP exhibited auto-mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase activity and ribosylated core histones. RNAi-mediated knockdown of TiPARP in T47D breast cancer and HuH7 hepatoma cells increased TCDD-dependent cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) and CYP1B1 mRNA expression and recruitment of AHR to both genes. Overexpression of TiPARP reduced AHR-dependent increases in CYP1A1-reporter gene activity, which was restored by overexpression of AHR, but not ARNT. Deletion and mutagenesis studies showed that TiPARP-mediated inhibition of AHR required the zinc finger and catalytic domains. TiPARP and AHR co-localized in the nucleus, directly interacted and both were recruited to CYP1A1 in response to TCDD. Overexpression of TiPARP enhanced whereas RNAi-mediated knockdown of TiPARP reduced TCDD-dependent AHR proteolytic degradation. TCDD-dependent induction of AHR target genes was also enhanced in Tiparp-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts compared to wildtype controls. Moreover, livers excised from TCDD-treated Tiparp-/- mice displayed significantly greater AHR target gene expression compared with wildtype or heterozygous mice. Comparison of TiPARP to known negative regulator, AHR repressor (AHRR) revealed TiPARP and AHRR some notable similarities and differences between their mechanisms of repression. Similar to TiPARP, the AHRR was recruited to AHR target regulatory regions in response to TCDD and its overexpression repressed reporter gene activity. However unlike TiPARP, knockdown of the AHRR did not affect AHR transactivation or its proteasomal degradation. Despite some mechanistic similarities, our data suggest that TiPARP and AHRR independently repress AHR transactivation. Overall, our findings show that TiPARP is a mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase and a transcriptional repressor of AHR, revealing a novel negative feedback loop controlling AHR transcriptional regulation.

No description available.

Introduction: Asthma is a disease that occurs worldwide and approximately 300 million people carry this disease. It is characterized by chronic inflammation, airway obstruction and airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR). This T-lymphocyte controlled disease has symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness. In addition to chronic inflammation, asthma is also caused by overproduction of mucus and airway wall remodelling. The chronic inflammation and airway wall remodelling are suggested to contribute to the AHR and airway obstruction. AHR is a way to measure the reactivity in the airways in asthmatics. IL-13 has been shown to play an important role in the development of AHR, and biopsies from bronchial submucosa and air way smooth muscle (ASM) in humans have shown an increased concentration of IL-13 in severe asthma. Aim: The aim of this work was to evaluate if IL-13 is able to enhance the 5-HT response in mouse tracheal segments, which had been cultured for 2 days and, if so, try to unravel the underlying mechanism for this phenomenon. Literature reports that IL-13 enhanced contractions in mouse trachea in presence of KCl and CCH. Earlier work within this project did not find any clear proof for this observation. However, in this work this observation will be evaluated in a more controlled fashion by correcting for size and location of the trachea. Methods: The trachea was removed from Balp/c mice and cultured in small wells for two days in DMEM medium and various additions were performed to the medium for understanding the effect of e.g. IL-13 on the cells. The contractility change due to IL-13 and various additions in segments challenged with KCL, CCH and 5-HT were measured in a tissue-organ bath. Results and Conclusion: A more enhanced CCH induced contraction of IL-13 treated segments was obtained for the lower part compared to the upper part of the trachea. IL-13 enhanced the response in the ASM to 5-HT after two days of culturing. An increased concentration of the cytokine IL-13 in the airways from TH2-cells enhances the reactivity to 5-HT in the ASM. The underlying mechanism might involve JNK and ERK but more experiments are needed to statistically ensure this claim.

In MCF7 and T47D cells cotreated with 1 nM 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) plus 0.1-10 μM 3’,4’-dimethoxy flavone (DMF), there was a concentration-dependent decrease in the TCDD-induced ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity. Gel mobility shift assays showed that 3’,4’-DMF inhibited TCDD-induced aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) transformation in rat liver cytosol and blocked TCDD-induced formation of the nuclear AhR complex in MCF7 and T47D cells. The antiestrogenic activity of TCDD in estrogen-induced transactivation assays in MCF7 cells was reversed by 3’,4’-DMF, confirming the AhR antagonist activity of this compound in breast cancer cells. Cotreatment of T47D and MCF7 cells with TCDD and 10 μM resveratrol inhibited induction of CYP1A1 mRNA and EROD activity. Resveratrol did not inhibit TCDD-induced AhR transformation and reporter gene activity. Actinomycin D chase experiments in T47D cells showed that the mechanism of inhibition of CYP1A1 mRNA and EROD activity is due to an increased rate of CYP1A1 mRNA degradation, suggesting that resveratrol inhibits CYP1A1 via an AhR-independent post-transcriptional pathway. Vitamin D receptor-interacting protein 150 (DRIP150) coactivated estrogen receptor α (ER α)-mediated transactivation and the response was AF2-dependent in ZR75 breast cancer cells. C-and N-terminal NR-boxes (amino acids 1186-1182 and 73-69, respectively) were not necessary for coactivation of ERα. Analysis of DRIP150 deletion mutants identified a 23 amino acid sequence (811-789) required for coactivation. The 23 amino acid contained two regions at amino acids 789-794 and 795-804 which resembled α-helical motifs identified in Lanuguinosa lipase/histamine N-methyl transferase and hepatocyte nuclear factor 1, respectively. A squelching assay using specific point mutations within each α-helix showed that the NIFSEVRVYN (795-804) region was the critical sequence required for the coactivator activity of DRIP150.

The Winland R35 method [Log R35 = 0.732 + 0.588 (Log Kair) 0.864 (Log O)] is based on the relationship between porosity, permeability, and pore throat radius at the point of 35% mercury saturation in capillary pressure measurements and is generally reliable in rocks with only intergranular porosity (such as sandstone) where pore and pore throat geometry are related closely to rock texture. Carbonate pores are not always so; consequently, the Winland method is not as reliable for assessing reservoir quality in carbonate reservoirs. To evaluate alternatives to the conventional Winland technique, based on rock facies characteristics, samples from the Jurassic Smackover Formation in Alabama and the Permian Clearfork Formation in Texas were tested for reservoir quality with use of the Winland R35 and Pittman methods to determine if either method is more reliable in carbonate reservoir studies. Pittman's modification of the Winland method was found to be more accurate graphically. A third method for evaluating reservoir rock character is provided by Lucia. This method is based on geological rather than petrophysical characteristics, and it revealed that pore throat sizes at 35% mercury saturation may include a variety of depositional and diagenetic rock fabrics. The Winland and Pittman petrophysical evaluation techniques, as well as the Lucia geological evaluation technique - when based on depositional facies alone - do not provide reliable measures of reservoir quality. An alternative method based on genetic pore type presented by Ahr in 2005 was tested for comparison. Using a porosity-permeability plot based on the pore type, the relationship between porosity, permeability, and pore type was found to be strong and reproducible. When the ratio of permeability to porosity was used in combination with Ahr genetic pore types, the results indicate that barriers, baffles, and flow units can be reliably defined. This study demonstrates that the use of pore types in conjunction with capillary pressure measurements is a more reliable method for evaluating carbonate reservoirs than any alternative method that is based on depositional facies or rock fabrics alone.

No description available.

The long-range goal of this project is to investigate the protective effects of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) against carcinogenesis. In this dissertation, we demonstrate the mechanisms of CLA action on cell cycle progression and repression of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-induced Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in breast and colon cancer cells. CLA reduced the expression of factors required for G1 to S-phase transition including cyclins D1 and E, and hyperphoshorylated retinoblastoma Rb protein. In contrast, the over-expression of mutant p53 (175Arg to His) in MCF-7 cells prevented the CLA-dependent accumulation of p21 and the reduction of cyclin E levels suggesting that the expression of wild-type p53 is required for CLA-mediated activation of the G1 restriction point. We also report, CLA reduced the expression of COX-2 promoter activity induced by the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-ligand benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). Mutagenesis or deletion of potential xenobiotic responsive elements (XREs) within the COX-2 promoter abrogated its ability to be induced by the high affinity AhR-ligand TCDD. In addition, promoter studies using a XRE-dependent CYP1A1 plasmid revealed CLA can inhibit PAH-induced AhR/XRE-driven genes. In both studies, the t10,c12-CLA isomer was more effective than c9,t11-CLA in inhibiting cell proliferation and AhR/XRE-dependent genes. Taken together, these data suggest that the anti-cancerous properties of CLA appear to be a function, at least in part, of the relative content of specific isomers and their 1) ability to elicit a p53 response that leads to the accumulation of pRb and cell growth arrest, and 2) ability to inhibit PAH-induced cyclooxygenase-2 promoter activity through an AhR-dependent mechanism.