Ah receptor in primate liver: binding of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and carcinogenic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Ah receptor in hepatic cytosols from adult cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fasicularis) was identified and quantitated by its binding of the highly toxic chemical 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and the carcinogens 3-methylcholanthrene, benzo[a]pyrene, and dibenz[a,h]anthracene. The concentration of Ah receptor in cynomolgus hepatic cytosols (approximately 10 fmol/mg cytosol protein) was about one-quarter of that typically detected in rodent hepatic cytosols. Receptor concentrations were equal in male and female cynomolgus. [3H]TCDD bound to cytosolic receptor with high affinity (Kd approximately 3 nM). In rodents, Ah receptor is known to play a central role in toxicity caused by halogenated aromatic compounds and in carcinogenesis caused by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Existence of Ah receptor in monkeys indicates that the receptor also may mediate such responses in primates.