Project description:To investigate the global genes regulated by AHR, high-throughput mRNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed to compare the expression profile between DLD-1 cells transfected with control siRNA or AHR siRNA.
Project description:Knockdown of Sox2 in SW620 colorectal cancer cells decrease their growth rates in vitro and in vivo in xenograft models. We used microarrays to detail the global programme of gene expression in Sox2 Knockdown sw620 cells compared with mock knockdown sw620 cells Sox2 knockdown sw620 cells and and mock knockdown sw620 cells were cultured in RPMI 1640 cell culture media for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. We sought to obtain the genes regulated by Sox2 in colorectal cell lines and end (T4) of gastrulation.
Project description:The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) regulates the expression of numerous genes in response to activation by agonists including xenobiotics. Although it is well appreciated that environmental signals and cell intrinsic features may modulate this transcriptional response, how it is mechanistically achieved remains poorly understood. We show that Hexokinase 2 (HK2) a metabolic enzyme fuelling cancer cell growth, is a transcriptional target of AHR as well as a modulator of its activity. Expression of HK2 is positively regulated by AHR upon exposure to agonists both in human cells and in mice lung tissues. Conversely, over-expression of HK2 regulates the abundance of many proteins involved in the regulation of AHR signalling and these changes are linked with altered AHR expression levels and transcriptional activity. HK2 expression also shows a negative correlation with AHR promoter methylation in tumours, and these tumours with high HK2 expression and low AHR methylation are associated with a worse overall survival in patients. In sum, our study provides novel insights into how AHR signalling is regulated which may help our understanding of the context-specific effects of this pathway and may have implications in cancer.
Project description:The transcriptional program of early embryonic development is tightly regulated by a set of well-defined transcription factors that suppress premature expression of differentiation genes and sustain the pluripotent identity. It is generally accepted that this program can be perturbed by environmental factors such as chemical pollutants, however the precise molecular mechanisms remain unknown. The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) is a widely expressed nuclear receptor that senses environmental stimuli and modulates target gene expression. Here, we show that ectopic activation of AHR during early differentiation disrupts the differentiation program via the chromatin remodeling complex NuRD. The activated AHR/NuRD complex altered the expression of differentiation-specific genes that control the first two developmental decisions without affecting the pluripotency program. These findings identify a novel mechanism that allows environmental stimuli to disrupt embryonic development through AHR signaling.
Project description:Analysis of gene expression changes due to lack of AhR in NK cells. Cytokine activated NK cells upregulate expression of AhR and display homeostatic and functional defects. Goal of this study was to identify gene expression changes associated with NK cell activity.