The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor: Multitasking in the Immune System

• Published in: Annual review of immunology Vol. 32; no. 1; pp. 403 - 432
• Main Authors: Stockinger, Brigitta, Meglio, Paola Di, Gialitakis, Manolis, Duarte, João H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Annual Reviews 01-01-2014
• Subjects: Animals; aryl hydrocarbon receptor; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; immune system; Immune System - physiology; inflammation; Ligands; metabolism; Organ Specificity - genetics; Protein Binding; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon - chemistry; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon - genetics; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon - metabolism; Signal Transduction; tryptophan
• ISSN: 0732-0582; 1545-3278
• DOI: 10.1146/annurev-immunol-032713-120245

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), for many years almost exclusively studied by the pharmacology/toxicology field for its role in mediating the toxicity of xenobiotics such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo
-p-
dioxin (TCDD), has more recently attracted the attention of immunologists. The evolutionary conservation of this transcription factor and its widespread expression in the immune system point to important physiological functions that are slowly being unraveled. In particular, the emphasis is now shifting from the role of AhR in the xenobiotic pathway toward its mode of action in response to physiological ligands. In this article, we review the current understanding of the molecular interactions and functions of AhR in the immune system in steady state and in the presence of infection and inflammation, with a focus on barrier organs such as the skin, the gut, and the lung.