http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303720713002220
Dioxins
are the most concerned environmental pollutants. Recent studies have
shown that these compounds could disrupt the proper functioning of our
endocrine system. Estrogen is synthesized in glial cells of the brain.
The hormone has been linked to the maintenance of normal brain
operation, ranging from neurotransmission to synapse formation.
Aromatase or CYP19 is the enzyme responsible for estrogen synthesis. In
the present study, we demonstrated that
2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD) stimulated the enzyme
activity in human brain cells as low as 1 pM. Increased brain-specific
CYP19 mRNA species was also observed in these cells. Since the
brain-specific promoter I.f of CYP19 contains two binding motifs for
CCAAT/enhancer binding protein, electrophoretic mobility shift assay was
performed to validate the activation. We further traced the triggering
signal and found that the mitogen-activated protein kinases ERK-1/2 were
activated. In summary, TCDD could induce CYP19 transcription in brain
cells. Exposure to the pollutant might perturb the hormonal balance in
the brain.
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