SANDRINE: Biosensor tracing of endocrine disrupting compounds in surface water, waste water and sludge for water quality assessment

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 98.0118

Key words (English)

Estrogenic activity; endocrine disrupting compounds; biosensor; fluorescence techniques; estrogen receptor

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: ENV4-CT98-0801

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 4. Frame Research Programme - 3.1 Environment

Short description (English)

See abstract

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Universität Berlin (D); Universität Tübingen (D); TU München (D); Universität Cranfield (UK); TU Dresden (D); Universität Barcelona (E); AGBAR Barcelona (E)

Abstract (English)

ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING COMPOUNDS (EDC) ARE A THREAT TO HUMAN HEALTH AND WILDLIFE. IN-VITRO ASSAYS THAT DETECT A KEY EVENT OF EDC ACTION ARE VALUABLE TOOLS IN DETECTION, QUANTIFICATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF EDC. WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE SANDRINE PROJECT WE DEVELOP RECEPTOR BASED ASSAYS FOR THE DETECTION OF EDC WITH ESTROGENIC ACTIVITY IN ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES USING FLUORESCENCE TECHNIQUES. ASSAYS ARE BASED ON THE INTERACTION OF THE ESTROGEN RECEPTOR (ER) WITH DNA AND PROTEIN COMPONENTS PARTICIPATING IN GENE REGULATION MEDIATED BY THE ER. MONITORING MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS RELEVANT IN THE ENDOCRINE CONTROL SYSTEM ALLOWS TO DEVELOP FUNCTIONAL ASSAYS THAT RESPOND TO EDC ACTIVITY RATHER THAN TO SIMPLE LIGAND BINDING. DIFFERENT FLUORESCENCE APPROACHES ARE USED AND COMPARED TO SELECT THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ONE FOR ESTROGENIC EFFECTS. IN PARTICULAR, WE MONITOR BINDING EVENTS IN HOMOGENOUS SAMPLES USING FLUORESCENCE CORRELATION SPECTROSCOPY AND FLUORESCENCE ANISOTROPY. STRUCTURAL CHANGES UPON BINDING ARE FOLLOWED BY FLUORESCENCE RESONANCE ENERGY TRANSFER. MOREOVER, BINDING EVENTS IN SOLID SUPPORTED SAMPLES ARE STUDIED USING TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION FLUORESCENCE. ASSAY PERFORMANCE WILL BE VERIFIED IN A JOINT ASSESSMENT WITH THE PROJECT PARTNERS. FINALLY, A SIMPLIFIED LOW COST ASSAY SET-UP FOR ON-SITE TESTING AT WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANTS WILL BE BUILD-UP.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 98.0118