Hepatic transcriptional networks induced by exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin

The environmental contaminant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) serves as a prototype for a range of environmental toxicants and as a pharmacologic probe to study signal transduction by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). Despite a detailed understanding of how TCDD exposure leads to the transcriptional up-regulation of cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenases, we know little about how compounds like TCDD lead to a variety of AHR-dependent toxic end points such as liver pathology, terata, thymic involution, and cancer. Using an acute exposure protocol and the toxic response of the mouse liver as a model system, we have begun a detailed microarray analysis to describe the transcriptional changes that occur after various TCDD doses and treatment times. Through correlation analysis of time- and dose-dependent toxicological end points, we are able to identify coordinately responsive transcriptional events that can be defined as primary transcriptional events and downstream events that may represent mechanistically linked sequelae or that have potential as biomarkers of toxicity.