The aryl hydrocarbon receptor, more than a xenobiotic-interacting protein

• Published in: FEBS letters Vol. 581; no. 19; pp. 3608 - 3615
• Main Authors: Barouki, Robert, Coumoul, Xavier, Fernandez-Salguero, Pedro M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier B.V 31.07.2007; Wiley
• Subjects: AhR; Animals; ARNT; aryl hydrocarbon (dioxin) receptor; aryl hydrocarbon nuclear translocator; Aryl hydrocarbon receptor; c-Jun N-terminal kinase; Cell Adhesion; Cell migration; Cell Movement; Cell Proliferation; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic - metabolism; Cytoskeleton; Humans; JNK; Life Sciences; Neoplasms - metabolism; Neoplasms - pathology; Proliferation; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon - genetics; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon - metabolism; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon - physiology; Signal Transduction; TGFβ; transforming growth factor β; Xenobiotics - metabolism; Aryl hydrocarbon receptor; JNK; TGFβ; ARNT; Cytoskeleton; AhR; Proliferation; Cell migration; dissemin
• ISSN: 0014-5793; 1873-3468
• DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2007.03.046

The aryl hydrocarbon (dioxin) receptor (AhR) has been studied for several decades largely because of its critical role in xenobiotic-induced toxicity and carcinogenesis. Albeit this is a major issue in basic and clinical research, an increasing number of investigators are turning their efforts to try to understand the physiology of the AhR under normal cellular conditions. This is an exciting area that covers cell proliferation and differentiation, endogenous mechanisms of activation, gene regulation, tumor development and cell motility and migration, among others. In this review, we will attempt to summarize the studies supporting the implication of the AhR in those endogenous cellular processes.