The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor in eukaryotic cells that alters gene expression in response to the environmental contaminant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). In 5L hepatoma cells, TCDD induces a G 1 cell cycle arrest through a mechanism that involves the AhR. The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (pRb) controls cell cycle progression through G 1 in addition to promoting differentiation. We examined whether the human AhR or its dimerization partner, the AhR nuclear translocator, interacts with pRb as a basis of the TCDD-induced cell cycle arrest. In vivo and in vitro assays reveal a direct interaction between pRb and the AhR but not the AhR nuclear translocator protein. Binding between the AhR and pRb occurs through two distinct regions in the AhR. A high affinity site lies within the N-terminal 364 amino acids of the AhR, whereas a lower affinity binding region colocalizes with the glutamine-rich transactivation domain of the receptor. AhR ligand binding is not required for the pRb interaction per se, although immunoprecipitation experiments in 5L cells reveal that pRb associates preferentially with the liganded AhR, consistent with a requirement for ligand-induced nuclear translocation. These observations provide a mechanistic insight into AhR-mediated cell cycle arrest and a new perspective on TCDD-induced toxicity.

Anaplasma marginale is a tick-borne rickettsia that causes bovine anaplasmosis worldwide. Despite its importance, A. marginale has thus far not been established in a continuous culture system. We have propagated A. marginale continuously for the 1st time in a tick cell line derived from the black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, using infected bovine blood as the inoculum. Erythrocytic stages invaded the tick cells and multiplied in membrane-lined vacuoles to form colonies typical of those observed in naturally infected ticks as demonstrated by light and electron microscopy. The rickettsiae have been passaged serially for 3 yr and have been cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. Antigens present in A. marginale from tick cell culture were recognized by bovine immune serum against the blood stages of A. marginale. A. marginale grown in this tick cell line was infective for calves, and male ticks fed on the calves transmitted A. marginale to a susceptible calf. The ability to culture A. marginale removes a major impediment to the study of Anaplasma biology in vitro, and will enhance development of vaccines and diagnostic tests.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) belongs to the basic helixloop-helix/periodicity/AhR nuclear translocator/simple-minded (Per-Arnt-Sim) family of transcription factors that regulate critical functions during development and tissue homeostasis. Within this family, the AhR is the only member conditionally activated in response to ligand binding, typified by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). We recently demonstrated that the AhR interacts with the retinoblastoma protein (pRb). This report presents evidence that a LXCXE motif in the AhR protein confers pRb binding, which is necessary for maximal TCDD induced G 1 arrest in rat 5L hepatoma cells. The data support a mechanism whereby pRb seems to regulate G 1 cell cycle progression distinct from the direct repression of E2F-mediated transcription. Furthermore, the results indicate that the AhR-pRb interaction regulates TCDD induction of CYP1A1, suggesting that pRb may be a general AhR coactivator.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an invariably fatal disease that accounts for approximately 1% to 2% of all human cancers. Surprisingly little is known about the cellular pathways contributing to growth of these tumors. Although the cytokine interleukin-6 has been suggested to be the major stimulus for myeloma cell growth, the role of a second potential growth factor, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), has been less clearly defined. The IGF-I signaling cascade in 8 MM cell lines was examined. In 7 of these, the IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) was expressed and autophosphorylated in response to ligand. Downstream of IGF-IR, insulin receptor substrate 1 was phosphorylated, leading to the activation of phosphatidylinositol-3′-kinase (PI-3K). PI-3K, in turn, regulated 2 distinct pathways. The first included Akt and Bad, leading to an inhibition of apoptosis; the second included the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), resulting in proliferation. Biologic relevance of this pathway was demonstrated because in vitro IGF-I induced both an antiapoptotic and a proliferative effect. Importantly, in vivo administration of IGF-I in SCID mice inoculated with the OPM-2 line led to approximately twice the growth rate of tumor cells as in controls. These results suggest that IGF-I activates at least 2 pathways effecting myeloma cell growth and contributes significantly to expansion of these cells in vivo.