🇬🇧 The complexity of AHR activity in gliomas

Abstract

Gliomas are brain tumors with a high medical need for improved therapies. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a critical regulator of glioma progression by modulating tumor cell malignancy and anti-tumor immunity.

The detection of AHR activity in tissues mainly relies on quantitation of AHR target genes. Until recently, the context-specificity of AHR target gene expression had impeded investigation of AHR activity across different cell types. Our team developed a transcriptional signature that detects AHR activity and the biological functions it mediates irrespective of cell type or ligand.

In this presentation, Dr Opitz will give an overview of the upstream metabolic enzymes involved in AHR activation in gliomas as well as the AHR downstream mediators driving functional outcomes. In addition, as gliomas heavily catabolize tryptophan, I will delineate how tryptophan limitation affects AHR activation in gliomas. The identification of the modulators of AHR activity will open up new avenues for the development of markers and drugs tailored to specific mechanisms and downstream effects of AHR activation in gliomas.