Influence of the AhR/AhRR pathway and environmental chemicals on macrophage programming in liver and intestine (P06)

• Subject Area: Immunology ; Endocrinology, Diabetology, Metabolism
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 432325352

The increasing prevalence of metabolic diseases is a characteristic of industrialized countries and may be linked to the enhanced uptake of anthropogenic chemicals from the environment. The activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) through environmental toxins causes hepatic steatosis and increased incidence of diabetes, whereas natural phytochemicals also bind to the AhR and exert protective effects. Using knockout mouse models, we aim to investigate the role of the AhR repressor (AhRR) and of AhR stimulation by prototypic ligands in metaflammation with a focus on transcriptional and metabolic programming of macrophages.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1454: Metaflammation and Cellular Programming
• Applicant Institution: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Irmgard Förster