Working group of Prof. Gauglitz

Measurement of interactions betweeen endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and nuclear receptors (NRs)

EDCs are substances that interfere with the physiological balance of hormones, e.g. by binding to hormone receptors and thus acting as agonists or antagonists. In the course of the NoE CASCADE a binding assay was developed that serves to experimentally verify predictions of EDCs made by in silico methods.

In order to implement a binding assay using the real receptor (instead of e.g. an antibody), new ligands suitable for immobilisation on the sensor chip had to be designed and synthesized. These immobilized ligands serve as specific binding partners for the receptors in solution. If the sample also contains EDCs that bind to the receptor, the signal will be reduced (binding inhibition assay).

In addition, this biosensor is suitable to measure EDCs in cell culture media, thus providing information on how metabolisation of a substance by cells alters its binding to the receptor (deactivation or activation as EDC).