(789g) Biosensing Chemicals That Target Nuclear Hormone Receptors: Introducing a Rapid, Versatile Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Approach

The growing concern of the ubiquitous presence of endocrine disrupting compounds in our environment and their effects on human and animals has catalyzed biosensor developement to detect and study the interaction of these chemicals with nuclear hormone receptors (NHRs). Although huge progress has been made, available biosensors remain expensive and time consuming. Here we report a rapid, versatile cell-free protein synthesis platform for detecting chemicals that target NHRs. This new biosensor is based on a multidomain-allosteric fusion protein with a core nuclear hormone ligand binding domain and a reporter domain. This biosensor has ability to produce a near real-time signal. We also report the robustness of cell free system in combination with a â??just-add-sampleâ? technique to detect endocrine disrupting compounds in environmental samples. The cell free system has also been shown to be functional in human samples including blood and urine, which expands the possible portable applications of the biosensor.