cDNA cloning and characterization of a high affinity Aryl hydrocarbon receptor in a cetacean, the beluga, Delphinapterus leucas
Some cetaceans bioaccumulate substantial concentrations of planar halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAHs) in their tis-sues, but little is known about the effects of such burdens on cetacean health. 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and related PHAHs cause toxicity via activation of the a...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.510.7586 http://www.whoi.edu/science/B/people/mhahn/Jensen_2001.pdf |
| Summary: | Some cetaceans bioaccumulate substantial concentrations of planar halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAHs) in their tis-sues, but little is known about the effects of such burdens on cetacean health. 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and related PHAHs cause toxicity via activation of the aryl hydrocar-bon receptor (AHR), a member of the bHLH-PAS family of tran-scription factors. Differences in AHR structure and function are known to contribute to species-specific differences in susceptibility to PHAH toxicity. To ascertain the potential for PHAH effects in a cetacean, we characterized an AHR from the beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas. The 3.2 kb cDNA encodes an 845-amino acid protein with a predicted size of 95.5 kDa. Overall, the beluga AHR shares 85 % amino acid sequence identity with the human AHR and 75 % identity with the mouse AHR Ahb–1 allele. Beluga AHR protein synthesized in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system |
|---|