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Re DB, Yan B, Calderón-Garcidueñas L, Andrew AS, Tischbein M, Stommel EW. A perspective on persistent toxicants in veterans and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: identifying exposures determining higher ALS risk. J Neurol 2022; 269:2359-2377. [PMID: 34973105 PMCID: PMC9021134 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-021-10928-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Multiple studies indicate that United States veterans have an increased risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) compared to civilians. However, the responsible etiological factors are unknown. In the general population, specific occupational (e.g. truck drivers, airline pilots) and environmental exposures (e.g. metals, pesticides) are associated with an increased ALS risk. As such, the increased prevalence of ALS in veterans strongly suggests that there are exposures experienced by military personnel that are disproportionate to civilians. During service, veterans may encounter numerous neurotoxic exposures (e.g. burn pits, engine exhaust, firing ranges). So far, however, there is a paucity of studies investigating environmental factors contributing to ALS in veterans and even fewer assessing their exposure using biomarkers. Herein, we discuss ALS pathogenesis in relation to a series of persistent neurotoxicants (often emitted as mixtures) including: chemical elements, nanoparticles and lipophilic toxicants such as dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls. We propose these toxicants should be directly measured in veteran central nervous system tissue, where they may have accumulated for decades. Specific toxicants (or mixtures thereof) may accelerate ALS development following a multistep hypothesis or act synergistically with other service-linked exposures (e.g. head trauma/concussions). Such possibilities could explain the lower age of onset observed in veterans compared to civilians. Identifying high-risk exposures within vulnerable populations is key to understanding ALS etiopathogenesis and is urgently needed to act upon modifiable risk factors for military personnel who deserve enhanced protection during their years of service, not only for their short-term, but also long-term health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane B Re
- Department of Environmental Health Science, Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Beizhan Yan
- Department of Geochemistry, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY, USA
| | - Lilian Calderón-Garcidueñas
- Department Biomedical Sciences, College of Health, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
- Universidad del Valle de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Angeline S Andrew
- Department of Neurology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Maeve Tischbein
- Department of Neurology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Elijah W Stommel
- Department of Neurology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA.
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Tu XQ, Lai ZH, Zhang Y, Ding KQ, Ma FY, Yang GY, He JR, Zeng LL. Periventricular White Matter Hyperintensity in Males is Associated with Post-Stroke Depression Onset at 3 Months. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2021; 17:1839-1857. [PMID: 34135586 PMCID: PMC8197583 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s311207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the correlation between white matter hyperintensity (WMH) and post-stroke depression (PSD) at 3 months, and to further investigate sex differences in the pathogenesis of PSD. METHODS A total of 238 consecutive patients with acute cerebral infarction were recruited. PSD was assessed at 2 weeks and at 3 months after stroke onset. All stroke cases were divided into four subgroups according to the diagnosis of depression at two time nodes: continuous depression; depression remission; late-onset PSD; and continuous non-depression. The Fazekas and Scheltens visual rating scales were adopted to assess WMH. RESULTS Logistic regression revealed that the presence of periventricular white matter hyperintensity (PVWMH) at baseline in male patients was an independent risk factor for PSD at 3 months. Further subgroup analysis revealed that PVWMH was associated with late-onset PSD in males, but not with continuous depression 3 months after stroke. Male acute stroke patients with PVWMH at baseline were more likely to develop PSD at 3 months, especially late-onset PSD. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that sex differences may influence the pathogenesis of PSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan-Qiang Tu
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Ze-Hua Lai
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital North, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Kai-Qi Ding
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Fei-Yue Ma
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital Luwan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Guo-Yuan Yang
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Ji-Rong He
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital Luwan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Li-Li Zeng
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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Nghiem GT, Nishijo M, Pham TN, Ito M, Pham TT, Tran AH, Nishimaru H, Nishino Y, Nishijo H. Adverse effects of maternal dioxin exposure on fetal brain development before birth assessed by neonatal electroencephalography (EEG) leading to poor neurodevelopment; a 2-year follow-up study. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 667:718-729. [PMID: 30849612 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2018] [Revised: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We previously reported the adverse effects of perinatal dioxin exposure on child neurodevelopment around a former US military airbase in Vietnam. In the present study, we investigated the effects of maternal dioxin exposure on fetal brain development, which may predict neurodevelopmental outcomes in early childhood. A total of 55 newborns with mothers from dioxin-contaminated areas were recruited in the prefecture hospital in Bien Hoa, Vietnam. Dioxins in maternal breast milk collected 1 month after birth were used as a maternal exposure marker. Relative powers and coherence were computed from neonatal electroencephalogram (EEG) records during active sleep stages. Relationships between the EEG parameters and dioxin exposure markers were analyzed using linear regression and a general linear model after adjusting for gestational age, body length, and head circumference of infants at birth. Using data from 47 infants whose neurodevelopment was examined in a 2-year follow-up study, associations between EEG parameters and neurodevelopment were analyzed after adjusting for confounding factors. On the right frontal and parietal regions, relative delta powers were significantly decreased, and relative alpha and beta powers were significantly increased with increasing dioxin exposure. Increases in delta power and decreases in alpha power on the right frontal and parietal regions were associated with an increase in language scores at 2 years of age. Furthermore, intra- and inter-hemispheric coherence in theta and alpha bands were positively and inversely correlated with dioxin exposure, respectively, and increased intra-coherence in the right hemisphere was associated with lower language scores. These findings suggest that prenatal dioxin exposure affects neuronal activity and functional connectivity between brain regions, and may lead to poor language development.
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Affiliation(s)
- GiangThi Thuy Nghiem
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Muneko Nishijo
- Department of Public Health, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa 920-0293, Japan.
| | - Thao Ngoc Pham
- Department of Public Health, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa 920-0293, Japan
| | - Mika Ito
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Tai The Pham
- Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research Center, Vietnamese Military Medical University, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Anh Hai Tran
- Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research Center, Vietnamese Military Medical University, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Hiroshi Nishimaru
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Yoshikazu Nishino
- Department of Public Health, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa 920-0293, Japan
| | - Hisao Nishijo
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
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Zhang HJ, Liu YN, Xian P, Ma J, Sun YW, Chen JS, Chen X, Tang NJ. Maternal exposure to TCDD during gestation advanced sensory-motor development, but induced impairments of spatial learning and memory in adult male rat offspring. CHEMOSPHERE 2018; 212:678-686. [PMID: 30176550 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.08.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin (TCDD) is an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) with high persistency. Even a low amount can pass the placental barrier during gestational exposure. Exposure to TCDD exposure can impair the development of the nervous system in children, leading to impaired learning ability in later-life. But the changes in neurobehavioral developments in infancy and childhood caused by TCDD are unknown. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were given a consecutive daily dose of TCDD (200 or 800 ng/day/kg) or an equivalent volume of vehicle by gavage on gestational days 8-14 (GD 8-14) as the prenatal TCDD exposure model. In the offspring, early neurobehavioral development was assessed at postnatal day 5 (PND5) and eye-opening was monitored from PND10 onwards. Adult male offspring was tested by Morris Water Maze for spatial memory and learning ability evaluation. Hippocampus Nissl's staining and astrocyte GFAP immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate the activity of astrocytes. The results of the behavioral tests showed that gestational TCDD exposure induced premature motor activity and earlier eyes-opening, but lead to serious deficits of spatial memory and learning ability in the adult male offspring. Morphology and number of neurons in the hippocampus CA1 region was not affected, while the activity of astrocytes in the same region was significantly reduced. These data indicate that perinatal TCDD exposure induced premature neurobehavioral development but impaired the spatial learning and memory in adult male rat offspring. The decreased activity of astrocytes in the hippocampus may play a role in these adverse effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua-Jing Zhang
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.
| | - Ya-Nan Liu
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.
| | - Ping Xian
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.
| | - Jing Ma
- Tianjin Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, Tianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin, 300350, China.
| | - Ya-Wen Sun
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.
| | - Jing-Shan Chen
- Department of Technology and Science, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, 300052, China.
| | - Xi Chen
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.
| | - Nai-Jun Tang
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.
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Xu T, Xie HQ, Li Y, Xia Y, Sha R, Wang L, Chen Y, Xu L, Zhao B. Dioxin induces expression of hsa-miR-146b-5p in human neuroblastoma cells. J Environ Sci (China) 2018; 63:260-267. [PMID: 29406108 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2017.06.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Revised: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Dioxin can cause a series of neural toxicological effects. MicroRNAs (miRs) play important roles in regulating nervous system function and mediating cellular responses to environmental pollutants, such as dioxin. Hsa-miR-146b-5p appears to be involved in neurodegenerative diseases and brain tumors. However, little is known about effects of dioxin on the expression of hsa-miR-146b-5p. We found that the hsa-miR-146b-5p expression and its promoter activity were significantly increased in dioxin treated SK-N-SH cells, a human-derived neuroblastoma cell line. Potential roles of hsa-miR-146b-5p in mediating neural toxicological effects of dioxin may be due to the regulation of certain target genes. We further confirmed that hsa-miR-146b-5p significantly suppressed acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and targeted the 3'-untranslated region of the AChE T subunit, which has been down-regulated in dioxin treated SK-N-SH cells. Functional bioinformatic analysis showed that the known and predicted target genes of hsa-miR-146b-5p were involved in some brain functions or cyto-toxicities related to known dioxin effects, including synapse transmission, in which AChE may serve as a responsive gene for mediating the effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
| | - Heidi Q Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
| | - Yunping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Yingjie Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Rui Sha
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Lingyun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Yangsheng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Li Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Bin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
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6
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Xu T, Xie HQ, Li Y, Xia Y, Chen Y, Xu L, Wang L, Zhao B. CDC42 expression is altered by dioxin exposure and mediated by multilevel regulations via AhR in human neuroblastoma cells. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10103. [PMID: 28860601 PMCID: PMC5578991 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10311-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence has shown that dioxin causes dysregulation of microRNAs (miRs) in a variety of tissues or cells. However, little is known about dioxin effects on neuronal miRs expression. In the present study, 277 differentially expressed miRs were identified by miRs microarray analysis in 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD, at 10−10 M) treated SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells. Among them, 53 miRs exhibited changes of more than 0.4-fold. Consistent with the microarray data, we verified the induction effect of TCDD on hsa-miR-608 expression, which is a primate-specific miR associated with brain functions. Bioinformatics analysis showed involvement of hsa-miR-608 in cytoskeleton organization, in which one of the hsa-miR-608 target genes, Cell Division Cycle 42 (CDC42), might play a role. We also confirmed induction of CDC42 expression by TCDD in SK-N-SH cells. TCDD induced the expression of CDC42 mRNA in hsa-miR-608 inhibitor transfected cells more obviously than in control cells, suggesting involvement of both transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms in the TCDD-induced CDC42 regulation. Furthermore, CH223191, an antagonist of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), counteracted TCDD-induced hsa-miR-608 and CDC42 expression. These results indicated that AhR not only mediates transcriptional induction of CDC42, but also hsa-miR-608-induced post-transcriptional regulation of CDC42 in dioxin treated neuroblastoma cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Heidi Q Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Yunping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Yingjie Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Yangsheng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Li Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Lingyun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Bin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China. .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
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Hahn ME, Karchner SI, Merson RR. Diversity as Opportunity: Insights from 600 Million Years of AHR Evolution. CURRENT OPINION IN TOXICOLOGY 2017; 2:58-71. [PMID: 28286876 DOI: 10.1016/j.cotox.2017.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) was for many years of interest only to pharmacologists and toxicologists. However, this protein has fundamental roles in biology that are being revealed through studies in diverse animal species. The AHR is an ancient protein. AHR homologs exist in most major groups of modern bilaterian animals, including deuterostomes (chordates, hemichordates, echinoderms) and the two major clades of protostome invertebrates [ecdysozoans (e.g. arthropods and nematodes) and lophotrochozoans (e.g. molluscs and annelids)]. AHR homologs also have been identified in cnidarians such as the sea anemone Nematostella and in the genome of Trichoplax, a placozoan. Bilaterians, cnidarians, and placozoans form the clade Eumetazoa, whose last common ancestor lived approximately 600 million years ago (MYA). The presence of AHR homologs in modern representatives of all these groups indicates that the original eumetazoan animal possessed an AHR homolog. Studies in invertebrates and vertebrates reveal parallel functions of AHR in the development and function of sensory neural systems, suggesting that these may be ancestral roles. Vertebrate animals are characterized by the expansion and diversification of AHRs, via gene and genome duplications, from the ancestral protoAHR into at least five classes of AHR-like proteins: AHR, AHR1, AHR2, AHR3, and AHRR. The evolution of multiple AHRs in vertebrates coincided with the acquisition of high-affinity binding of halogenated and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and the emergence of adaptive functions involving regulation of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes and roles in adaptive immunity. The existence of multiple AHRs may have facilitated subfunction partitioning and specialization of specific AHR types in some taxa. Additional research in diverse model and non-model species will continue to enrich our understanding of AHR and its pleiotropic roles in biology and toxicology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Hahn
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MS-32, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Sibel I Karchner
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MS-32, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Rebeka R Merson
- Biology Department, Rhode Island College, 600 Mt. Pleasant Avenue, 251 Fogarty Life Sciences, Providence, RI 02908
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Fujisawa TX, Nishitani S, Iwanaga R, Matsuzaki J, Kawasaki C, Tochigi M, Sasaki T, Kato N, Shinohara K. Association of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor-Related Gene Variants with the Severity of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Front Psychiatry 2016; 7:184. [PMID: 27899901 PMCID: PMC5110561 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to environmental chemicals, such as dioxin, is known to have adverse effects on the homeostasis of gonadal steroids, thereby potentially altering the sexual differentiation of the brain to express autistic traits. Dioxin-like chemicals act on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), polymorphisms, and mutations of AhR-related gene may exert pathological influences on sexual differentiation of the brain, causing autistic traits. To ascertain the relationship between AhR-related gene polymorphisms and autism susceptibility, we identified genotypes of them in patients and controls and determined whether there are different gene and genotype distributions between both groups. In addition, to clarify the relationships between the polymorphisms and the severity of autism, we compared the two genotypes of AhR-related genes (rs2066853, rs2228099) with the severity of autistic symptoms. Although no statistically significant difference was found between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients and control individuals for the genotypic distribution of any of the polymorphisms studied herein, a significant difference in the total score of severity was observed in rs2228099 polymorphism, suggesting that the polymorphism modifies the severity of ASD symptoms but not ASD susceptibility. Moreover, we found that a significant difference in the social communication score of severity was observed. These results suggest that the rs2228099 polymorphism is possibly associated with the severity of social communication impairment among the diverse ASD symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi X Fujisawa
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan; Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Shota Nishitani
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University , Nagasaki , Japan
| | - Ryoichiro Iwanaga
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Nagasaki University , Nagasaki , Japan
| | - Junko Matsuzaki
- Nagasaki Municipal Welfare Center for the Handicapped , Nagasaki , Japan
| | | | - Mamoru Tochigi
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Teikyo University School of Medicine , Tokyo , Japan
| | - Tsukasa Sasaki
- Department of Physical and Health Education, Graduate School of Education, The University of Tokyo , Tokyo , Japan
| | - Nobumasa Kato
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University , Tokyo , Japan
| | - Kazuyuki Shinohara
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University , Nagasaki , Japan
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