Question

Dioxin is a deadly toxin. In animal tests, however, hamsters are unaffected by doses that would kill guinea pigs. Dioxin acts like a steroid hormone, entering the cell and binding to its receptor in the cytoplasm.

1. How could that explain its different effects throughout the body and in different organisms? (2 pts)
2. How could you figure out if an illness is related to dioxin exposure? (3 pts)

Answer 1

1.Steroid hormones enter in to the cytoplasm and attach to thier receptor present in the cytoplasm. Along with he receptor they enter in to the nucleus and attach to a specific regulatory sequence of the genes. By doing so, they either activate or deactivate a gene. The genes will produce or stop producing gene product based on effect of the hormone on the gene. So , the Dioxin which acts like a steroid hormone also must be either activating or deactivating genes present in the nucleus.

It binds to the receptor present in the cytoplasm. Along with the receptor , reaches a specific regulatory regio s on the nucleus and either activate or deactivate the gene. The effect on the gene depends on which regulatory region the Dioxin bound. If it attaches to the enhancer region, the gene is activated. Dioxin is activating like a transcriptional factor. But this must be bringing those changes in the body that are harmful to the body. That is how bringing various

harmful effect and killing the organism.

2.If the disease is related to Dioxin can be established by introducing Dioxin in to hamster and studying the chemicals that it is capable of producing or capable preventing certain chemical from  producing. By comparing the changes which occurred in diseased individual we can establish Dioxin effect in the body of organisms.