2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-inducible aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated change in CYP1A1 chromatin structure occurs independently of transcription.

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin induces, in a receptor-dependent fashion, an increase in the accessibility of CYP1A1 chromatin to restriction endonucleases. The 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-induced change in chromatin structure occurs rapidly and does not require ongoing RNA or protein synthesis. The increased accessibility of chromatin DNA may facilitate its subsequent interaction with other transcription factors.