Editor's Summary
1 May 2008
Toxins and autoimmunity
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a transcription factor best known for mediating the toxicity of aromatic hydrocarbons such as dioxin: its activation leads to the production of detoxification enzymes. AHR has been intensely studied in relation to toxicology and cancer research, but no mechanistic connection to the immune system was known. Now two groups report a role for AHR in maintaining the balance between two T-lymphocyte populations — the Treg and TH17 cells — that are part of the immune regulation system dealing with tolerance of self-antigens and pathogen clearance. Both groups also show that AHR affects the severity of experimental autoimmune encephalitis, a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. This work raises the possibility that stimulation of AHR by environmental factors could be involved in the development of autoimmune disease, and point to AHR as a possible drug target for immunomodulation.
News and Views: Immunology: T cells hang in the balance
Equally important as the immune system's function in fighting invaders is its ability to tolerate self. But environmental toxins could shift the equilibrium between these activities one way or the other.
Emily A. Stevens & Christopher A. Bradfield
doi:10.1038/453046a
Article: Control of Treg and TH17 cell differentiation by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor
Francisco J. Quintana, Alexandre S. Basso, Antonio H. Iglesias, Thomas Korn, Mauricio F. Farez, Estelle Bettelli, Mario Caccamo, Mohamed Oukka & Howard L. Weiner
doi:10.1038/nature06880
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (826K) | Supplementary information
Letter: The aryl hydrocarbon receptor links TH17-cell-mediated autoimmunity to environmental toxins
Marc Veldhoen, Keiji Hirota, Astrid M. Westendorf, Jan Buer, Laure Dumoutier, Jean-Christophe Renauld & Brigitta Stockinger
doi:10.1038/nature06881
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (502K) | Supplementary information
