title: Reporter Gene Assays in Ecotoxicology.
abstract: The need for simple and rapid means for evaluating the potential toxic effects of environmental samples has prompted the development of reporter gene assays, based on tester cells (bioreporters) genetically engineered to report on sample toxicity by producing a readily quantifiable signal. Bacteria are especially suitable to serve as bioreporters owing to their fast responses, low cost, convenient preservation, ease of handling, and amenability to genetic manipulations. Various bacterial bioreporters have been introduced for general toxicity and genotoxicity assessment, and the monitoring of endocrine disrupting and dioxin-like compounds has been mostly covered by similarly engineered eukaryotic cells. Some reporter gene assays have been validated, standardized, and accredited, and many others are under constant development. Efforts are aimed at broadening detection spectra, lowering detection thresholds, and combining toxicity identification capabilities with characterization of the toxic effects. Taking advantage of bacterial robustness, attempts are also being made to incorporate bacterial bioreporters into field instrumentation for online continuous monitoring or on-site spot checks. However, key hurdles concerning test validation, cell preservation, and regulatory issues related to the use of genetically modified organisms still remain to be overcome.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel.
authors.forename: Tal
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Elad
authors.affiliation: Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel. shimshon.belkin@mail.huji.ac.il.
authors.forename: Shimshon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belkin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects*; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D054750:Ecotoxicology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D004867:Equipment Design; D017930:Genes, Reporter / Q000235:genetics*; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques / Q000379:methods; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants
keywords: Bacterial bioreporter; Biosensor; Dioxin; EDC; Environmental toxicology; Genetic engineering; Genotoxicity; Reporter gene; Stress response; Toxicity; Whole-cell bioassay