TY - JOUR
T1 - Loss of aryl hydrocarbon receptor suppresses the response of colonic epithelial cells to IL22 signaling by upregulating SOCS3
AU - Han, Huajun
AU - Davidson, Laurie A.
AU - Fan, Yang Yi
AU - Landrock, Kerstin K.
AU - Jayaraman, Arul
AU - Safe, Stephen H.
AU - Chapkin, Robert S.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding was provided by Texas AgriLife Research, the Sid Kyle Chair Endowment, the Allen Endowed Chair in Nutrition & Chronic Disease Prevention, the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (RP160589), and the National Institutes of Health (R01-ES025713, R01-CA202697, and R35-CA197707).
Publisher Copyright:
0193-1857/22 Copyright © 2022 the American Physiological Society.
PY - 2022/1/1
Y1 - 2022/1/1
N2 - IL22 signaling plays an important role in maintaining gastrointestinal epithelial barrier function, cell proliferation, and protection of intestinal stem cells from genotoxicants. Emerging studies indicate that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated transcription factor, promotes production of IL22 in gut immune cells. However, it remains to be determined if AhR signaling can also affect the responsiveness of colonic epithelial cells to IL22. Here, we show that IL22 treatment induces the phosphorylation of STAT3, inhibits colonic organoid growth, and promotes colonic cell proliferation in vivo. Notably, intestinal cell-specific AhR knockout (KO) reduces responsiveness to IL22 and compromises DNA damage response after exposure to carcinogen, in part due to the enhancement of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) expression. Deletion of SOCS3 increases levels of pSTAT3 in AhR KO organoids, and phenocopies the effects of IL22 treatment on wild-type (WT) organoid growth. In addition, pSTAT3 levels are inversely associated with increased azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS)-induced colon tumorigenesis in AhR KO mice. These findings indicate that AhR function is required for optimal IL22 signaling in colonic epithelial cells and provide rationale for targeting AhR as a means of reducing colon cancer risk.
NEW & NOTEWORTHY AhR is a key transcription factor controlling expression of IL22 in gut immune cells. In this study, we show for the first time that AhR signaling also regulates IL22 response in colonic epithelial cells by modulating SOCS3 expression.
AB - IL22 signaling plays an important role in maintaining gastrointestinal epithelial barrier function, cell proliferation, and protection of intestinal stem cells from genotoxicants. Emerging studies indicate that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated transcription factor, promotes production of IL22 in gut immune cells. However, it remains to be determined if AhR signaling can also affect the responsiveness of colonic epithelial cells to IL22. Here, we show that IL22 treatment induces the phosphorylation of STAT3, inhibits colonic organoid growth, and promotes colonic cell proliferation in vivo. Notably, intestinal cell-specific AhR knockout (KO) reduces responsiveness to IL22 and compromises DNA damage response after exposure to carcinogen, in part due to the enhancement of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) expression. Deletion of SOCS3 increases levels of pSTAT3 in AhR KO organoids, and phenocopies the effects of IL22 treatment on wild-type (WT) organoid growth. In addition, pSTAT3 levels are inversely associated with increased azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS)-induced colon tumorigenesis in AhR KO mice. These findings indicate that AhR function is required for optimal IL22 signaling in colonic epithelial cells and provide rationale for targeting AhR as a means of reducing colon cancer risk.
NEW & NOTEWORTHY AhR is a key transcription factor controlling expression of IL22 in gut immune cells. In this study, we show for the first time that AhR signaling also regulates IL22 response in colonic epithelial cells by modulating SOCS3 expression.
KW - Aryl hydrocarbon receptor
KW - Colonic epithelial cells
KW - IL22 signaling
KW - SOCS3
KW - Interleukins/pharmacology
KW - Transcriptional Activation/physiology
KW - STAT3 Transcription Factor/drug effects
KW - Organoids/metabolism
KW - Epithelial Cells/drug effects
KW - Mice, Knockout
KW - Signal Transduction/physiology
KW - Animals
KW - Carcinogenesis/drug effects
KW - Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3 Protein/drug effects
KW - Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon/drug effects
KW - Colon/drug effects
KW - Colonic Neoplasms/drug therapy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85122903997&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85122903997&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1152/AJPGI.00074.2021
DO - 10.1152/AJPGI.00074.2021
M3 - Article
C2 - 34755534
AN - SCOPUS:85122903997
SN - 0193-1857
VL - 322
SP - G93-G106
JO - American Journal of Physiology - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology
JF - American Journal of Physiology - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology
IS - 1
ER -