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Targeting the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor in Stem Cells to Improve the Use of Food as Medicine

  • Metabolism and Stem Cells (O Yilmaz & J Roper, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Intestinal stem cells, the most rapidly proliferating adult stem cells, are exquisitely sensitive to extrinsic dietary factors. Uncontrolled regulation of intestinal stem cells is closely linked to colon tumorigenesis. This review focuses on how dietary- and microbial-derived cues regulate intestinal stem cell functionality and colon tumorigenesis in mouse models by targeting the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR).

Recent Findings

AhR, a ligand-activated transcription factor, can integrate environmental, dietary, and microbial cues to modulate intestinal stem cell proliferation, differentiation, and their microenvironment, affecting colon cancer risk. Modulation of AhR activity is associated with many chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel diseases where AhR expression is protective.

Summary

AhR signaling controls the maintenance and differentiation of intestinal stem cells, influences local niche factors, and plays a protective role in colon tumorigenesis. Mounting evidence suggests that extrinsic nutritional/dietary cues which modulate AhR signaling may be a promising approach to colon cancer chemoprevention.

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Acknowledgments

The illustrative figures were created using BioRender.com.

Funding

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, R01-AT01282, R35-CA197707, and T32-CA090301).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Integrative Nutrition and Complex Diseases, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Huajun Han & Robert S. Chapkin

  2. Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Huajun Han & Robert S. Chapkin

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Arul Jayaraman

  4. Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Stephen Safe

  5. Department of Nutrition, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Robert S. Chapkin

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  1. Huajun Han
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Correspondence to Robert S. Chapkin.

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Huajun Han, Arul Jayaraman, Stephen Safe, and Robert Chapkin declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Han, H., Jayaraman, A., Safe, S. et al. Targeting the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor in Stem Cells to Improve the Use of Food as Medicine. Curr Stem Cell Rep 6, 109–118 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40778-020-00184-0

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