Estrogenic effects of natural and synthetic compounds including tibolone assessed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing the human estrogen alpha and beta receptors.

The human estrogen receptors (hER)alpha and hERbeta, differentially expressed and localized in various tissues and cell types, mediate transcriptional activation of target genes. These encode a variety of physiological reproductive and nonreproductive functions involved in energy metabolism, salt balance, immune system, development, and differentiation. As a step toward developing a screening assay for the use in applications where significant numbers of compounds or complex matrices need to be tested for (anti) estrogenic bioactivity, hERalpha and hERbeta were expressed in a genetically modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, devoid of three endogenous xenobiotic transporters (PDR5, SNQ2, and YOR1). By using receptor-mediated transcriptional activation of the green fluorescent protein optimized for expression in yeast (yEGFP) as reporter 17 natural, comprising estrogens and phytoestrogens or synthetic compounds among which tibolone with its metabolites, gestagens, and antiestrogens were investigated. The reporter assay deployed a simple and robust protocol for the rapid detection of estrogenic effects within a 96-well microplate format. Results were expressed as effective concentrations (EC50) and correlated to other yeast based and cell line assays. Tibolone and its metabolites exerted clear estrogenic effects, though considerably less potent than all other natural and synthetic compounds. For the blood serum of two volunteers, considerable higher total estrogenic bioactivity than single estradiol concentrations as determined by immunoassay was found. Visualization of a hERalpha/GFP fusion protein in yeast revealed a sub cellular cytosolic localization. This study demonstrates the versatility of (anti) estrogenic bioactivity determination using sensitized S. cerevisiae cells to assess estrogenic exposure and effects.

In vitro bioactivity of 17alpha-estradiol.

A miniaturised short-term in vitro assay based on the activation of the human estrogen receptor alpha and genetically modified yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cells was performed to explore the capacity of this system to monitor the bioactivity of estrogenic compounds, particularly 17alpha- and 17beta-estradiol. Together with the human estrogen receptor (hER)-alpha plasmid, the reporter plasmid containing a yeast-optimised version of the green fluorescent protein (yEGFP) linked to three repeats of the cis-acting estrogen hormone-responsive element (ERE) were expressed in a strain being deleted in the pleiotropic drug resistance transporters Pdr5, Snq2 and Yor1, known to facilitate efflux of organic compounds including steroids and chemotherapeutics. Agonists that bind to hER in vitro trigger estrogen receptor-mediated transcriptional activation of the GFP reporter gene monitored by fluorescence emission at 535 nm. The sensitivity of the assay was tested with various 17alpha- and 17beta-estradiol concentrations, yielding a detection limit of 5 pg/ml (0.018 nM) for the agonist 17beta-E2 in solvent and in human charcoal-stripped serum using a S. cerevisiae pdr5, snq2 and yor1 mutant strain. For 17alpha-estradiol only, at approximately 1500 pg/ml a similar fluorescence response compared to 100 pg/ml 17beta-E2 was observed implicating a much weaker potency of this stereoisomer. The specificity of the system was tested by expression of a truncated hER lacking the ligand-binding domain E and by administration of the androgen, 4-androsten 3,17 dione. Both controls did not yield an increase in fluorescence emission. This fluorescence emission assay enables detection of estrogenic biological activity induced by direct agonists, such as 17beta-E2 at concentrations similar to those found in human sera or by estrogen-like chemicals.