Glucocorticoid Receptor Functions in HeLa Cells Are Perturbed by 2,3,8,9-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)

We used 2,3,8,9-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and dexamethasone (DEX) to examine their effects on aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in HeLa cells. TCDD (5 nM), DEX (100 nM) and their combination down-regulated GR after 24 h. DEX reversed AhR mRNA increase and AhR protein decrease caused by TCDD. Since AhR-GR cross-talk occurs in cell-type and species-specific manner, the presented data may serve as the basis in the understanding of mechanisms underlying mutual interactions between AhR and GR.