2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin inhibits fibroblast growth factor 10-induced prostatic bud formation in mouse urogenital sinus

TCDD alters essential transcriptional regulators of osteogenic differentiation in multipotent mesenchymal stem cells

Differentiation of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into bone-forming osteoblasts requires strict coordination of transcriptional pathways. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands, such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), have been shown to alter osteoblast differentiation in vitro and bone formation in multiple developmental in vivo models. The goal of the present study was to establish a global transcriptomic landscape during early, intermediate, and apical stages of osteogenic differentiation in vitro in response to TCDD exposure. Human bone-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) were cultured in growth media (GM), osteogenic differentiation media (ODM), or ODM containing 10 nM TCDD (ODM + TCDD), thus enabling a comparison of the transcriptomic profiles of undifferentiated, differentiated, and differentiated-TCDD-exposed hBMSCs, respectively. In this test system, exposure to TCDD attenuated the differentiation of hBMSCs into osteoblasts as evidenced by reduced alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization. At various timepoints, we observed altered expression of genes that play a role in the Wnt, fibroblast growth factor, bone morphogenetic protein/transforming growth factor beta developmental pathways, as well as pathways related to extracellular matrix organization and deposition. Reconstruction of gene regulatory networks with the interactive dynamic regulatory event miner (iDREM) analysis revealed modulation of transcription factors (TFs) including POLR3G, NR4A1, RDBP, GTF2B, POU2F2, and ZEB1, which may putatively influence osteoblast differentiation and the requisite deposition and mineralization of bone extracellular matrix. We demonstrate that the combination of RNA-Seq data in conjunction with the iDREM regulatory model captures the transcriptional dynamics underlying MSC differentiation under different conditions in vitro. Model predictions are consistent with existing knowledge and provide a new tool to identify novel pathways and TFs that may facilitate a better understanding of the osteoblast differentiation process, perturbation by exogenous agents, and potential intervention strategies targeting those specific pathways.

In utero exposure to TCDD alters Wnt signaling during mouse prostate development: linking ventral prostate agenesis to downregulated β-catenin signaling

In utero exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) causes ventral prostate agenesis in C57BL/6J mice by preventing ventral prostatic budding in the embryonic urogenital sinus (UGS). TCDD (5 μg/kg, po) administered to pregnant dams on embryonic day 15.5 (E15.5) activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in the UGS mesenchyme, disrupting the mesenchymally derived paracrine signaling that instructs epithelial prostatic budding. How TCDD alters the mesenchymal milieu is not well understood. We previously showed that TCDD disrupts some aspects of Wnt signaling in UGSs grown in vitro. Here we provide the first comprehensive, in vivo characterization of Wnt signaling in male E16.5 UGSs during normal development, and after in utero TCDD exposure. Vehicle- and TCDD-exposed UGSs were probed by in situ hybridization to assess relative abundance and localization of RNA from 46 genes that regulate Wnt signaling. TCDD altered the staining pattern of five genes, increasing staining for Wnt10a and Wnt16 and decreasing staining for Ror2, Rspo2, and Wif1. We also used immunohistochemistry to show, for the first time, activation of β-catenin (CTNNB1) signaling in ventral basal epithelium of control UGSs at E16.5. This onset of CTNNB1 signaling occurred immediately prior to the initiation of ventral prostatic budding and is characterized by a pronounced increase in CTNNB1 nuclear localization and subsequent expression of the CTNNB1 signaling target gene, Lef1. In utero TCDD exposure prevented the onset of CTNNB1 signaling and LEF1 expression in the ventral basal epithelium, thereby elucidating a likely mechanism by which TCDD contributes to failed prostatic budding in the ventral UGS.

TCDD inhibition of canonical Wnt signaling disrupts prostatic bud formation in mouse urogenital sinus

In mice, in utero exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p- dioxin (TCDD) reduces the number of dorsolateral prostatic buds resulting in a smaller dorsolateral prostate and prevents formation of ventral buds culminating in ventral prostate agenesis. The genes and signaling pathways affected by TCDD that are responsible for disrupting prostate development are largely unknown. Here we show that treatment of urogenital sinus (UGS) organ cultures with known inhibitors of canonical Wnt signaling also inhibits prostatic bud formation. In support of the hypothesis that TCDD decreases canonical Wnt signaling, we identify inhibitory effects of TCDD on multiple components of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway in the UGS that temporally coincide with the inhibitory effect of TCDD on prostatic bud formation: (1) expression of R-spondins (Rspo2 and Rspo3) that promote canonical Wnt signaling is reduced; (2) expression of Lef1, Tcf1, and Wif1, established canonical Wnt target genes, is decreased; (3) expression of Lgr5, a RSPO receptor that activates canonical Wnt signaling, is reduced; and (4) expression of Dickkopfs (Dkks), inhibitors of canonical Wnt signaling, is not increased by TCDD. Thus, the TCDD-induced reduction in canonical Wnt signaling is associated with a decrease in activators (Rspo2 and Rspo3) rather than an increase in inhibitors (Dkk1 and Dkk2) of the pathway. This study focuses on determining whether treatment of TCDD-exposed UGS organ cultures with RSPO2 and/or RSPO3 is capable of rescuing the inhibitory effects of TCDD on canonical Wnt signaling and prostatic bud formation. We discovered that each RSPO alone or in combination partially rescues TCDD inhibition of both canonical Wnt signaling and prostatic bud formation.

Plasma Cytokine Concentrations in Workers Exposed to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)

Objectives: Few epidemiological studies have studied the effect of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on blood cytokine levels. In this study we investigated changes in plasma levels of a large panel of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors among workers from a Dutch historical cohort occupationally exposed to chlorophenoxy herbicides and contaminants including TCDD. Methods: Eighty-five workers who had been exposed to either high (n = 47) or low (n = 38) TCDD levels more than 30 years before serum collection were included in the current investigation. Plasma level of 16 cytokines, 10 chemokines, and 6 growth factors were measured. Current plasma levels of TCDD (TCDD_current) were determined by high-resolution gas chromatography/isotope-dilution high-resolution mass spectrometry. TCDD blood levels at the time of last exposure (TCDD_max) were estimated using a one-compartment first order kinetic model. Results: Blood levels of most analytes had a negative association with current and estimated past maximum TCDD levels. These decreases reached formal statistical significance for fractalkine, transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α), and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) with increasing TCDD levels. Conclusion: Our study showed a general reduction in most analyte levels with the strongest effects for fractalkine, FGF2, and TGF-α. These findings suggest that TCDD exposure could suppress the immune system and that chemokine and growth factor-dependent cellular pathway changes by TCDD may play role in TCDD toxicity and associated health effects.

Potential protective mechanisms of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) signaling in benign prostatic hyperplasia

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is an evolutionarily conserved ligand activated transcription factor best known for its role in mediating toxic responses to dioxin-like environmental contaminants. However, AHR signaling has also emerged as an active participant in processes of normal development and disease progression. Here, we review the role of AHR signaling in prostate development and disease processes, with a particular emphasis on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Inappropriate AHR activation has recently been associated with a decreased risk of symptomatic BPH in humans and has been shown to impair prostate development and disrupt endocrine signaling in rodents. We highlight known physiological responses to AHR activation in prostate and other tissues and discuss potential mechanisms by which it may act in adult human prostate to protect against symptomatic BPH.

A high-resolution molecular atlas of the fetal mouse lower urogenital tract

Epithelial-stromal interactions in the lower urogenital tract (LUT) are integral to prostatic and seminal vesicle development in males, vaginal and uterine development in females, and urethral development in both sexes. Gene expression profiling of isolated LUT stroma and epithelium has unraveled mechanisms of LUT development, but such studies are confounded by heterogeneous and ill-defined cell sub-populations contained within each tissue compartment. We used in situ hybridization to synthesize a high-resolution molecular atlas of 17-day post-coitus fetal mouse LUT. We identified mRNAs that mark selective cell populations of the seminal vesicle, ejaculatory duct, prostate, urethra, and vagina, subdividing these tissues into 16 stromal and 8 epithelial sub-compartments. These results provide a powerful tool for mapping LUT gene expression patterns and also reveal previously uncharacterized sub-compartments that may play mechanistic roles in LUT development of which we were previously unaware.

2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin potentially attenuates the gene expression of pituitary gonadotropin β-subunits in a fetal age-specific fashion: a comparative study using cultured pituitaries

Our previous studies have demonstrated that maternal exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) causes a reduction in gonadotropin biosynthesis in the fetal pituitary, resulting in the attenuated expression of steroidogenic proteins in the fetal gonads and the impairment of sexual behaviors in adulthood. However, the mechanism of the attenuation remains unknown. To address this issue, we investigated whether TCDD affects the pituitary production of gonadotropins, using cultured pituitary. In the absence of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), a regulator of gonadotropin biosynthesis, TCDD did not affect the expression of gonadotropin mRNAs both in fetal and postnatal pituitaries. On the other hand, in the presence of GnRH, TCDD interfered with the synthesis of gonadotropin β-subunit mRNAs only in the fetal pituitary. A protein kinase C (PKC) activator (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate) and a PKA activator (8-bromoadenosine-3' 5'-cyclic monophosphate) induced the expression of gonadotropin mRNAs in the fetal pituitary. Among the subunits, only the induction of β-subunit was reduced by TCDD treatment. These results suggest that TCDD reduces gonadotropin biosynthesis via damage to GnRH-stimulated PKC and PKA signaling in a β-subunit- and fetal age-specific manner.

Androgenic regulation of ventral epithelial bud number and pattern in mouse urogenital sinus

The ventral urogenital sinus (UGS) of control male mice has two rows of 3-4 prostatic buds at birth, but how androgens regulate ventral bud (VB) number and patterning is unclear. VBs in both sexes appeared to be a mixture of prostatic and urethral buds. UGSs from Tfm male and antiandrogen (flutamide)-exposed mice had small VBs, suggesting that initiation of some VBs is androgen independent. Tfm male mice are widely considered completely androgen insensitive yet their UGSs were 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT)- responsive. VBs (6-8) were generally distributed bimodally on the left-right axis at both minimal and normal male androgen signaling. Yet control females and DHT-exposed Tfm males had 13-14 VBs, whose left-right distribution was fairly uniform. These results suggest that VB number and distribution respond biphasically as androgen signaling increases from minimal, and that androgens regulate bud specification. Complete VB agenesis by the selective budding inhibitor 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) required high androgen signaling.