Dynamics of subcellular compartmentalization of steroid receptors in living cells as a strategic screening method to determine the biological impact of suspected endocrine disruptors.
Although a number of screening methods being used for identifying potential endocrine disruptors have generated a wealth of information, a search for alternative combination of methods is still needed to overcome experimental artefacts. There are no generally accepted or validated screening methods for monitoring and studying impact of environmental endocrine disruptors. Also, no single assay can accurately predict all the deleterious effects of endocrine disruptors. For this reason various environmental protection agencies, mainly European and US, have urged that a battery of tests in current use need to be designed to assess their adequacy in detecting the effects of endocrine disruptors. Some details about endocrine disruptors and screening programs can be found at http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/oscpendo/whatis.htm. Several studies in recent years have used fusion proteins between steroid receptors (estrogen, androgen, progesterone, etc.) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) that can serve as an alternative potent screening method to study intracellular dynamics of receptors in living cells. An approach employing nucleocytoplasmic trafficking of steroid receptors as a parameter in response to potential xenobiotic chemicals in living cells may prove to be promising in terms of being direct, fast, reliable, simple and inexpensive.
Tyagi
Rakesh Kumar
RK
Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, New Delhi, India. rktyagi@yahoo.com
D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D004703:Endocrine System / Q000187:drug effects*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008954:Models, Biological; D011485:Protein Binding; D011987:Receptors, Steroid / Q000378:metabolism*
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008024:Ligands; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D011987:Receptors, Steroid; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins