What is the role of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) in pancreatic cancer cells, and how does its modulation affect the response to gemcitabine?
Label:chem
Topic
Pancreatic cancer (PC) is characterized by chemoresistance, particularly to gemcitabine, a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a transcription factor that is often upregulated in pancreatic cancer cells and has been implicated in chemoresistance through its interaction with RNA-binding protein ELAVL1 (human antigen R).
Answer
Modulation of AHR activity significantly impacts the response to gemcitabine. Inhibition of AHR activity using a selective small-molecule inhibitor (BAY) increases gemcitabine effectiveness by enhancing the expression of deoxycytidine kinase (DCK), the enzyme responsible for converting gemcitabine to its active form. Conversely, activation of AHR with an agonist (tapinarof) decreases gemcitabine effectiveness by reducing DCK expression. This suggests that AHR inhibition could be a promising strategy to improve gemcitabine treatment outcomes in pancreatic cancer.
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