Halogenated agonists for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), such as 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), cause developmental toxicity in fish. AHR dependence of these effects is known for TCDD but only presumed for PCB126, and the AHR-regulated genes involved are known only in part. We defined the role of AHR in regulation of four cytochrome P450 1 (CYP1) genes and the effect of PCB126 on cell cycle genes (i.e., PCNA and cyclin E) in zebra fish (Danio rerio) embryos. Basal and PCB126-induced expression of CYP1A, CYP1B1, CYP1C1, and CYP1C2 was examined over time as well as in relation to cell cycle gene expression and morphological effects of PCB126 in developing zebra fish. The four CYP1 genes differed in the time for maximal basal and induced expression, i.e., CYP1B1 peaked within 2 days postfertilization (dpf), the CYP1Cs around hatching (3 dpf), and CYP1A after hatching (14-21 dpf). These results indicate developmental periods when the CYP1s may play physiological roles. PCB126 (0.3-100nM) caused concentration-dependent CYP1 gene induction (EC50: 1.4-2.7nM, Lowest observed effect concentration [LOEC]: 0.3-1nM) and pericardial edema (EC50: 4.4nM, LOEC: 3nM) in 3-dpf embryos. Blockage of AHR2 translation significantly inhibited these effects of PCB126 and TCDD. PCNA gene expression was reduced by PCB126 in a concentration-dependent manner, suggesting that PCB126 could suppress cell proliferation. Our results indicate that the four CYP1 genes examined are regulated by AHR2 and that the effect of PCB126 on morphology in zebra fish embryos is AHR2 dependent. Moreover, the developmental patterns of expression and induction suggest that CYP1 enzymes could function in normal development and in developmental toxicity of PCB126 in fish embryos.

Background: NRF2 is a transcription factor that regulates the oxidative stress response. Results: Zebrafish have duplicate nrf2 genes, nrf2a and nrf2b, with distinct functions during embryonic development. Conclusion: nrf2a and nrf2b have undergone subfunction partitioning; Nrf2b is a negative regulator of embryonic gene expression. Significance: Duplicate zebrafish nrf2 genes provide opportunities for new insights into developmental roles of NRF2.

Activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin causes altered gene expression and toxicity. The AHR repressor (AHRR) inhibits AHR signaling through a proposed mechanism involving competition with AHR for dimerization with AHR nuclear translocator (ARNT) and binding to AHR-responsive enhancer elements (AHREs). We sought to delineate the relative roles of competition for ARNT and AHREs in the mechanism of repression. In transient transfections in which AHR2-dependent transactivation was repressed by AHRR1 or AHRR2, increasing ARNT expression failed to reverse the repression, suggesting that AHRR inhibition of AHR signaling does not occur through sequestration of ARNT. An AHRR1 point mutant (AHRR1-Y9F) that could not bind to AHREs but that retained its nuclear localization was only slightly reduced in its ability to repress AHR2, demonstrating that AHRR repression does not occur solely through competition for AHREs. When both proposed mechanisms were blocked (AHRR1-Y9F plus excess ARNT), AHRR remained functional. AHRR1 neither blocked AHR nuclear translocation nor reduced the levels of AHR2 protein. Experiments using AHRR1 C-terminal deletion mutants showed that amino acids 270 to 550 are dispensable for repression. These results demonstrate that repression of AHR transactivation by AHRR involves the N-terminal portion of AHRR; does not involve competition for ARNT; and does not require binding to AHREs, although AHRE binding can contribute to the repression. We propose a mechanism of AHRR action involving "transrepression" of AHR signaling through protein-protein interactions rather than by inhibition of the formation or DNA binding of the AHR-ARNT complex.

Enzymes in the cytochrome P450 1 family oxidize many common environmental toxicants. We identified a new CYP1, termed CYP1D1, in zebrafish. Phylogenetically, CYP1D1 is paralogous to CYP1A and the two share 45% amino acid identity and similar gene structure. In adult zebrafish, CYP1D1 is most highly expressed in liver and is relatively highly expressed in brain. CYP1D1 transcript levels were higher at 9 hours post-fertilization than at later developmental times. Treatment of zebrafish with potent aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) agonists (3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl or 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) did not induce CYP1D1 transcript expression. Morpholino oligonucleotide knockdown of AHR2, which mediates induction of other CYP1s, did not affect CYP1D1 expression. Zebrafish CYP1D1 heterologously expressed in yeast exhibited ethoxyresorufin-and methoxyresorufin-O-dealkylase activities. Antibodies against a CYP1D1 peptide specifically detected a single electrophoretically-resolved protein band in zebrafish liver microsomes, distinct from CYP1A. CYP1D1 in zebrafish is a CYP1A-like gene that could have metabolic functions targeting endogenous compounds.