TCDD, FICZ, and other high affinity AhR ligands dose-dependently determine the fate of CD4+ T cell differentiation.

TitleTCDD, FICZ, and other high affinity AhR ligands dose-dependently determine the fate of CD4+ T cell differentiation.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2018
AuthorsEhrlich, AK, Pennington, JM, Bisson, WH, Kolluri, S, Kerkvliet, NI
JournalToxicol Sci
Date Published2017 Oct 13
ISSN1096-0929
Abstract

FICZ and TCDD, two high affinity AhR ligands, are reported to have opposite effects on T cell differentiation with TCDD inducing regulatory T cells and FICZ inducing Th17 cells. This dichotomy has been attributed to ligand-intrinsic differences in AhR activation, although differences in sensitivity to metabolism complicates the issue. TCDD is resistant to AhR-induced metabolism and produces sustained AhR activation following a single dose in the μg/kg range while FICZ is rapidly metabolized and AhR activation is transient. Nonetheless, prior studies comparing FICZ with TCDD have generally used the same 10-50μg/kg dose range, and thus the two ligands would not equivalently activate AhR. We hypothesized that high-affinity AhR ligands can promote CD4+ T cell differentiation into both Th17 cells and Tregs, with fate depending on the extent and duration of AhR activation. We compared the immunosuppressive effects of TCDD, FICZ, and several other rapidly metabolized ligands in an acute alloresponse mouse model. The dose and timing of administration of each ligand was optimized for TCDD-equivalent Cyp1a1 induction. When optimized, all of the ligands suppressed the alloresponse in conjunction with the induction of Foxp3- Tr1 cells on day 2 and the expansion of natural Foxp3+ Tregs on day 10. In contrast, a low dose of FICZ induced transient Cyp1a1 and did not induce Tregs or suppress the alloresponse but enhanced IL-17 production. Interestingly, low doses of the other ligands, including TCDD, also increased IL-17 production. These findings support the conclusion that the dose and the duration of AhR activation by high affinity AhR ligands are the primary factors driving the fate of T cell differentiation.

DOI10.1093/toxsci/kfx215
Alternate JournalToxicol. Sci.
PubMed ID29040756