Identification of novel TCDD-regulated genes by microarray analysis.

TCDD exposure of multipotential C3H10T1/2 fibroblasts for 72 h altered the expression of over 1000 genes, including coordinated changes across large functionally similar gene clusters. TCDD coordinately induced 23 cell cycle-related genes similar to epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced levels but without any affect on the major mitogenic signaling pathway (extracellular signal-regulated kinase, ERK). TCDD treatment also decreased glycolytic and ribosomal clusters. Most of these TCDD-induced changes were attenuated by the presence of EGF or an adipogenic stimulus, each added during the final 24 h. TCDD prevented 10% of EGF-induced gene responses and 40% of adipogenic responses. Over 100 other genes responded to TCDD during adipogenesis. This group of responses included complete suppression of three proliferins and stimulations of several cytokine receptors. Despite these varied secondary effects of TCDD, direct AhR activation measured by integrated AhR-responsive luciferase reporters was similar under quiescent, EGF-stimulated or adipogenic conditions. Only 23 genes were similarly induced by TCDD regardless of conditions and 10 were suppressed. These 23 genes include: 4 genes previously recognized to contain AhR response elements (cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1B1, CYP1A1, NAD(P)H quinone reductase 1 (NQO1), and aldehyde dehydrogenase 3A1); two novel oxidative genes (alcohol dehydrogenase 3 and superoxide dismutase 3); and glypican 1, a plasma membrane proteoglycan that affects cell signaling. Further experiments demonstrated that TCDD maximally induced NQO1, glypican 1 and alcohol dehydrogenase 3 by 6 h. Glypican 1 activates the actions of many growth factors and therefore may contribute to secondary effects on gene expression.