Crosstalk between the AHR signaling pathway and circadian rhythm

In this chapter, we review the crosstalk between the AHR signaling pathway and molecular clock system in mammals. In mammals, circadian rhythm is observed in most physiological functions including behavior, metabolism, cell growth, and immune responses. Circadian rhythm is regulated by a transcriptional feedback loop, and the transcription factor called "Brain Muscle ARNT-like protein 1 (BMAL1)" is a master regulator of this system. Because of its structural similarity to ARNT, a partner of AHR, BMAL1 is also referred as ARNT3. This structural feature of BMAL1 suggests that the activation of the AHR signaling pathway may influence the regulation of circadian rhythm. Several studies have shown that the expression levels of AHR display diurnal variation in many tissues. This circadian variation of AHR means that the pharmacological effects of AHR agonists vary according to the time of administration. AHR agonist administration results in a disruption of circadian rhythm with regard to behavior, immune cell proliferation, etc. As such, understanding the crosstalk between the AHR signaling and circadian rhythm may provide a new insight into TCDD actions.