The aryl-hydrocarbon receptor repressor also known as AHRR is a human

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...

Function

Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) are a group of chemical compounds that are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment. They are mostly by-products of burning or various industrial processes - or, in case of dioxin-like PCBs ...

are

teratogens Teratology is the study of abnormalities of physiological development in organisms during their life span. It is a sub-discipline in medical genetics which focuses on the classification of congenital abnormalities in dysmorphology. The related ...

that exert their effects through the

aryl hydrocarbon receptor The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (also known as AhR, AHR, ahr, ahR, or dioxin receptor) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the AHR gene. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor is a transcription factor that regulates gene expression. It was originall ...

(AhR) in conjunction with the

receptor Receptor may refer to: * Sensory receptor, in physiology, any structure which, on receiving environmental stimuli, produces an informative nerve impulse *Receptor (biochemistry), in biochemistry, a protein molecule that receives and responds to a ...

's binding partner,

aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator The ARNT gene encodes the aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator protein that forms a complex with ligand-bound aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), and is required for receptor function. The encoded protein has also been identified as the be ...

(ARNT). The

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...

encoded by this gene represses signal transduction by the AhR by competing with the arylhydrocarbon receptor for binding to the ARNT. Expression of the repressor is stimulated by the receptor/translocator heterodimer, thereby regulating receptor function through a negative feedback mechanism. In addition, the encoded protein can bind to nuclear factor-kappa B. The AhRR gene may act as a tumor suppressor.

Tissue distribution

The expression of AhRR is high in testis, lung, ovary, spleen and pancreas in adults, whereas expression is low in all tissues in fetuses.

References

External links

* {{Transcription factors, g1 Transcription factors