ToxSci Advance Access originally published online on February 19, 2004
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Toxicological Sciences 78, 178-180 (2004)
Toxicological Sciences vol. 78 no. 2 © Society of Toxicology; all rights reserved.
Molecular Switch Circuits in Toxicology: A Dimmer Switch for Dioxin
Department of Operations and Intelligence, Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit No. 2, Norfolk, Virginia
Received January 30, 2004; accepted January 30, 2004
| The first 10% of the full text of this article appears below. |
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reassessment of the health effects of 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD, dioxin) and related compounds in part re-evaluates approaches to low-dose extrapolation of risk for these compounds (U.S. EPA, 2000
). While a multitude of models describing the low-dose effects of TCDD have been presented over the past decade, an understanding of some of the biological factors defining the shape of the dose-response curve at low doses has become increasingly detailed only in the last few years, with the application of quantitatively sensitive technical approaches. Clearly, understanding the early events leading to molecular and cellular responses to TCDD exposure is crucial for low-dose extrapolation of risk.
The mechanistic basis of action of TCDD and related compounds is one of the most extensively studied in toxicology, and a hallmark of exposure to these
1 To whom correspondence should be addressed at NEPMU-2, 1887 Powhatan St., Norfolk, VA 23511. Fax: (757) 444-1191. E-mail: wilsonc@nepmu2.med.navy.mil