Ah receptor activation coordinates intestinal epithelial cell programing

The intestinal epithelium undergoes differentiation into multiple cell types and undergoes rapid cellular turnover. The Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a sensor of small molecules found either in the diet or due to microbiota metabolism. Ahr and Cyp1a1 exhibits the highest expression in the duodenum. Germ-free mice display similar levels of Cyp1a1 expression suggesting that in mice diet is the primary source of AHR activation potential. The lack of AHR expression alters; the rate of transit down the small intestine, barrier function, and proliferative index. In Ahr-/- mouse duodenum there is also a decrease in goblet cells, mucin levels and expression of gene expression linked to epithelial cell differentiation. AHR activation with indolo[3,2b]carbazole or broccoli; increases expression of differentiation markers, decreases epithelial proliferative index and increases goblet cell number. Math1 and Klf4 are AHR target genes that are linked to development of the secretory cell linkage. Collectively, our study indicates that dietary activation of the AHR leads to altered epithelial programing leading to increased goblet cells and decreased cell shedding. Overall design: Transcriptomic profiling across the mouse small intestine epithelial crypt-villus axis in response to 12 h exposure to the diet-derived potent AHR agonist indolo[3,2b] carbazole (ICZ). Triplicate biological replicates for both control and ICZ exposure