Abstract
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a cytoplasmic receptor and transcription factor activated through cognate ligand binding. It is an important factor in immunity and tissue homeostasis, and structurally diverse compounds from the environment, diet, microbiome, and host metabolism can induce AhR activity. Emerging evidence suggests that AhR is a key sensor allowing immune cells to adapt to environmental conditions and changes in AhR activity have been associated with autoimmune disorders and cancer. Furthermore, AhR agonists or antagonists can impact immune disease outcomes identifying AhR as a potentially actionable target for immunotherapy. In this review, we describe known ligands stimulating AhR activity, downstream proinflammatory and suppressive mechanisms potentiated by AhR, and how this understanding is being applied to immunopathology to help control disease outcomes.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1005-1020 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Trends in Immunology |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2018 |
Funding
We thank the members of the McGaha Laboratory for contributions to the research described in this manuscript, Dr Marie Jo Halaby for critique of the article, and Kieran Manion for assistance with the figures. This work was supported by NIH grants AR067763 and CA190449 and grant #C1TPA-2016-20 from the Medicine by Design/Canada First Research Excellence Fund (TLM) .
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology
