Steroid hormone-inducible biosensor based on EGFP-tagged and environmental application

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Biotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Steroid hormones are emerging organic pollutants of high concern due to potential human and environmental risks.
• Accurate analytical methods are crucial for quantifying and monitoring steroid hormones in various environmental matrices.
• Biosensor technology presents a promising approach for sensitive and efficient detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel biosensor for the detection of steroid hormones.
• To establish an efficient method for quantifying environmental steroid hormone pollutants.
• To compare biosensor results with traditional HPLC methods.

Main Methods:

• Constructed a regulatory plasmid with part of 3α-HSD DNA and an EGFP reporter gene.
• Generated a reporter plasmid and transformed it into Escherichia coli strain BL21.
• Extracted cell lysates as biosensor reagents for analyzing steroid hormones in water, sediment, and soil samples.

Main Results:

• The developed biosensor detected trace amounts of steroid hormones down to fg/L levels.
• Optimal reaction conditions were determined: 30 min at 30°C with 100% ethanol as the organic solvent.
• The method is suitable for high-throughput detection in a 96-well plate format.

Conclusions:

• A novel EGFP-based biosensor was successfully developed for detecting environmental steroid hormone pollutants.
• The biosensor provides a sensitive and high-throughput method for monitoring steroid hormones.
• This technique offers a valuable tool for assessing the environmental impact of steroid hormone contamination.