Characterization of a bisphenol A specific yeast bioreporter utilizing the bisphenol A-targeted receptor

The first Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast bioreporter for analysis of a single endocrine disrupting compound, bisphenol A (BPA), was developed. The bioreporter contains mutated human estrogen receptor α (hERα), called bisphenol A-targeted receptor (BPA-R). The BPA-R bioreporter was characterized with mixtures of estrogenic chemicals and tested with spiked influent wastewater samples. The detection limit for BPA was 4.2-fold lower (0.107 μM, i.e., 24 μg L(-1)), while that of the native hormone 17β-estradiol (E2) (1 μM, i.e., 272 μg L(-1)) was 166,000-fold higher compared to the wild type hERα bioreporter. The BPA-R bioreporter responded only to BPA in a chemical cocktail and spiked concentrated wastewater samples with high concentrations of other estrogenic chemicals. As a conclusion, wastewater and other environmental water samples can be concentrated and specifically analyzed for BPA without risk of the mixture effect caused by other estrogenic chemicals. The BPA-R bioreporter is a robust and cost-efficient choice for high-throughput monitoring of BPA and its bioavailability in complex samples.