Methods of analysis for chemicals that disrupt cellular signaling pathways: risk assessment for potential endocrine disruptors.

Abstract

Here we present a basic concept and several examples of methods of analysis for chemicals that disrupt cellular signaling pathways, in view of risk assessment for potential endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The key cellular signaling pathways include 1) ER/coactivator interaction, 2) AR translocation into the nucleus, 3) ER/NO/sGC/cGMP, 4) ER/Akt, 5) ER/Src, 6)ER/Src/Grb2, and 7) ER/Ca2+/CaM/CaMK pathways. These were visualized in relevant live cells using newly developed fluorescent and bioluminescent probes. Changes in cellular signals were thereby observed in nongenomic pathways of steroid hormones upon treatment of the target cells with steroid hormones and related chemicals. This method of analysis appears to be a rational approach to high-throughput prescreening (HTPS) of biohazardous chemicals, EDCs, in particular. Also described was the screening of gene expression by serial analysis of gene expression and gene chips upon applying EDCs to breast cancer cells, mouse livers, and human neuroblastoma NB-1 cells.