| WARF: P98021US |  |
| Sensitive Bioassay for Detecting Dioxins and PCBs |
| INVENTORS | • | Christopher Bradfield, Lucy Carver, Elizabeth Dunham |
OVERVIEW
This invention provides a highly sensitive biological assay for detecting serious environmental pollutants such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as well as other molecules that bind to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor.
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a transcription factor that becomes activated when it binds planar aromatic hydrocarbons, including PCBs and dioxins. Upon binding a molecule such as a dioxin, AHR moves to the nucleus where it complexes with another protein, ARNT. The AHR-ARNT complex then up-regulates the transcription of a variety of toxin-degrading enzymes. Recently, researchers have discovered a number of other proteins involved in this signaling pathway, including ARA9, ARA3 and Src. The inventors have now developed a transgenic yeast cell line that expresses AHR, ARNT and either ARA9, ARA3 or Src (or a combination). These toxin-responsive elements are linked to a reporter gene, so that a detectable product is expressed in the presence of planar aromatic hydrocarbon molecules.
The inventors have shown the presence of the ARA9 protein improves the assay’s sensitivity to dioxins 100-fold over that seen with AHR and ARNT alone.
KEY BENEFITS
- Provides a simple and rapid yeast-based assay for detecting highly-toxic environmental contaminants, such as dioxins and PCBs
- Improved assay system is 100-fold more sensitive to the presence of dioxins than previous yeast-based bioassays
- May be useful for screening drugs that bind to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) or that interact with the ARA9, ARA3 or Src proteins
- In addition to yeast, system may be adapted for mammalian and insect cells
- Assay system may be developed as a kit for environmental monitoring
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Intellectual Property Status
Tech Fields
Cleantech - Environmental monitoring
CONTACT INFORMATION
For current licensing status, please contact our team at
licensing@warf.org
or phone 608.262.4924. (Clicking this link will open a contact form in a popup window. If you have problems viewing the form, try disabling your popup blocker software.)
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