B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 is a novel target gene of aryl hydrocarbon receptor

Background The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor. When environmental pollutants, including chemical carcinogens, bind to AhR, the receptor translocates to nucleus and transcriptionally activates target genes including drug metabolizing enzymes such as P450s. Recent studies have shown that AhR mediates various responses, including cellular growth, differentiation, immune system and development. Objective In this study, we investigated the physiological function of AhR in skin. Methods Distribution of AhR in murine skin was examined by immunohistochemistry. Expression of a target gene which is transcriptionally activated by AhR is analysed by RT-PCR. Results We found that AhR co-localizes with the transcriptional repressor B lymphocyte maturation protein 1 (Blimp1) in sebaceous gland. In this report, we show that expression of Blimp1 is induced by treatment with AhR ligands, such as methylcolanthrene (MC) in sebocyte and keratinocyte cell lines. Exposure to ultraviolet B, which has been reported to generate AhR ligand intracellularly, also increased Blimp1 mRNA. This ligand-dependent induction of Blimp1 requires the expression of both AhR and ARNT, since transfection of siRNA specific to either AhR or ARNT significantly reduced Blimp1 mRNA in response to MC. Analysis using kinase inhibitors revealed that ligand-dependent induction of Blimp1, but not that of CYP1A1, is inhibited by staurosporine. TPA, a potent activator of protein kinase C, increased Blimp1 mRNA but not CYP1A1. Conclusion These data indicate that Blimp1 is a novel AhR-target gene in epidermal keratinocyte and sebocyte.