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. 2004 Jun;24(12):5209–5222. doi: 10.1128/MCB.24.12.5209-5222.2004

FIG. 2.

FIG. 2.

Synthetic AhR ligands and natural dietary compounds increase the activity of the PON-1 gene promoter. (A) HuH7 cells were transiently transfected with the pPON1000-FL plasmid and treated for 48 h with the indicated concentration of 3-MC or quercetin (solvent vehicle, 0.1% DMSO). Firefly luciferase was assayed as described in Materials and Methods. Results are means ± SEM (n = 12). A level of 100% corresponds to the luciferase value in cells treated with DMSO alone (ALU, 4.24 ± 1.14; n = 12). Statistically significant differences with this control are marked with double asterisks (P < 0.01). (B) HuH7 cells were transiently transfected with the pPON1000-FL plasmid and treated for 48 h with the different compounds (Nar., naringenin; Fla., flavone; Cat., catechin; Quer., quercetin) at the indicated concentrations or with the solvent vehicle alone (Control [0.1% DMSO]). Firefly luciferase was assayed as described in Materials and Methods. Results are means ± SEM (n = 12). A level of 100% corresponds to the luciferase value in cells treated with DMSO alone (ALU, 3.14 ± 0.50; n = 12). Statistically significant differences with this control are marked with double asterisks (P < 0.01). (C) An HuH7 clone (clone 10) and a pool of clones (pool 601), expressing the firefly luciferase reporter gene as a result of the stable transfection of pPON1000-FL (19), were treated with the same compounds as described for panel B at the indicated concentrations or with the solvent vehicle alone (0.1% DMSO) for 48 h. Firefly luciferase and protein content were assayed as described in Materials and Methods. Results were expressed as ratios of firefly luciferase activity/protein content (mean, ± SEM, n = 9). For each group (the clone and the pool), 100% corresponds to the luciferase value in cells treated with DMSO alone (ALU for the clone, 0.78 ± 0.11; ALU for the pool, 0.178 ± 0.02 [n = 9]; represented by a horizontal line). In each group, statistically significant (P < 0.01) differences from control results are marked with double asterisks.