After diffusing into the cell, TCDD binds to a cytoplasmic protein known as the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Structurally, the AhR is a member of the basic helix-loop-helix / Per-Arnt-Sim (bHLH/PAS) group of transcriptional regulatory proteins. The AhR has multiple functional domains, which mediate ligand binding, protein-protein interaction, DNA binding, and transactivation. The liganded receptor enters the cell nucleus, where it heterodimerizes with a second bHLH/PAS protein, known as the AhR nuclear translocator (Arnt). Like AhR, the Arnt protein has a modular organization and contains domains that mediate heterodimerization with AhR, DNA binding, and transactivation.
The AhR/Arnt heterodimer recognizes a specific DNA sequence and binds to multiple sites within a xenobiotic responsive enhancer (XRE) located upstream of the target CYP1A1 gene. These protein-DNA interactions are associated with alterations in both chromatin structure and protein binding at the CYP1A1 promoter. AhR's transactivation domain communicates the induction signal from enhancer to promoter probably via protein-protein interactions, thereby facilitating the binding of general transcription factors to the promoter.
Arnt can also interact with other bHLH/PAS proteins, thereby mediating responses to additional environmental stimuli. In particular, Arnt heterodimerizes with hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1 alpha) in response to low oxygen tension, and the HIF1 alpha/Arnt heterodimer alters the transcription of hypoxia-responsive genes.