Authors are thankful to Dale Leitman for initial training in use of transient transfection assays to determine estrogenic activity of primate plant foods. Thanks to Bradford Westrich and C. Eric Johnson for helping to set up laboratory equipment and training students in extraction methods. Finally, thank you to Indiana University for funding this research.

1. Preparation of plant materials
<ol>
	<li>Freeze dry plant items that were collected fresh using a lyophilizer.
	<ol>
		<li>To protect samples from light, cover chambers with aluminum foil during drying process.</li>
		<li>To ensure that samples are completely dry, lyophilize until chambers no longer feel cold to touch and plant materials no longer lose mass when weighed.</li>
		<li>Store dried plants in sterile low residue bags in absence of light until grinding.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Finely grind samples using a ...

<ol>
	<li>Wasserman, M. D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Estrogenic+plant+consumption+predicts+red+colobus+monkey+(Procolobus+rufomitratus)+hormonal+state+and+behavior.">Estrogenic plant consumption predicts red colobus monkey (Procolobus rufomitratus) hormonal state and behavior.</a> Hormones and Behavior. 62 (5), 553-562 (2012).</li><li>Wasserman, M. D., Milton, K., Chapman, C. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+roles+of+phytoestrogens+in+primate+ecology+and+evolution.">The roles of phytoestrogens in primate ecology and evolution.</a> International Journal of Primatology. 34 (5), 861-878 (2013).</li><li>DeGabriel, J. L., Moore, B. D., Foley, W. J., Johnson, C. N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+effects+of+plant+defensive+chemistry+on+nutrient+availability+predict+reproductive+success+in+a+mammal.">The effects of plant defensive chemistry on nutrient availability predict reproductive success in a mammal.</a> Ecology. 90 (3), 711-719 (2009).</li><li>Wasserman, M. D., Steiniche, T., Despr&#233;s-Einspenner, M. -. L., Lambert, J. E., Rothman, J. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Primate Diet &amp; Nutrition. , (2020).</li><li>Benavidez, K. M., Chapman, C. A., Leitman, D. C., Harris, T. R., Wasserman, M. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Intergroup+variation+in+oestrogenic+plant+consumption+by+black-and-white+colobus+monkeys.">Intergroup variation in oestrogenic plant consumption by black-and-white colobus monkeys.</a> African Journal of Ecology. , (2019).</li><li>Bennetts, H. W., Underwood, E. J., Shier, F. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+specific+breeding+problem+of+sheep+on+subterranean+clover+pastures+in+Western+Australia.">A specific breeding problem of sheep on subterranean clover pastures in Western Australia.</a> Australian Veterinary Journal. 22 (1), 2-12 (1946).</li><li>Tubbs, C. W., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Estrogenicity+of+captive+southern+white+rhinoceros+diets+and+their+association+with+fertility.">Estrogenicity of captive southern white rhinoceros diets and their association with fertility.</a> General and Comparative Endocrinology. 238, 32-38 (2016).</li><li>Shen, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Observation+of+the+influences+of+diosgenin+on+aging+ovarian+reserve+and+function+in+a+mouse+model.">Observation of the influences of diosgenin on aging ovarian reserve and function in a mouse model.</a> European Journal of Medical Research. 22 (1), 42 (2017).</li><li>Bou&#233;, S. M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Evaluation+of+the+estrogenic+effects+of+legume+extracts+containing+phytoestrogens.">Evaluation of the estrogenic effects of legume extracts containing phytoestrogens.</a> Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 51 (8), 2193-2199 (2003).</li><li>Klinge, C. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Estrogen+receptor+interaction+with+estrogen+response+elements.">Estrogen receptor interaction with estrogen response elements.</a> Nucleic Acids Research. 29 (14), 2905-2919 (2001).</li><li>Nishikawa, J. -. i., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=New+screening+methods+for+chemicals+with+hormonal+activities+using+interaction+of+nuclear+hormone+receptor+with+coactivator.">New screening methods for chemicals with hormonal activities using interaction of nuclear hormone receptor with coactivator.</a> Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. 154 (1), 76-83 (1999).</li><li>. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Human Estrogen Receptor Beta (ERb; ESR2; NR3A2) Reporter Assay System. , (2020).</li><li>Wasserman, M. D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Estrogenic+plant+foods+of+red+colobus+monkeys+and+mountain+gorillas+in+uganda.">Estrogenic plant foods of red colobus monkeys and mountain gorillas in uganda.</a> American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 148 (1), 88-97 (2012).</li><li>Vivar, O. I., Saunier, E. F., Leitman, D. C., Firestone, G. L., Bjeldanes, L. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Selective+activation+of+estrogen+receptor-&#946;+target+genes+by+3,+3'-diindolylmethane.">Selective activation of estrogen receptor-&#946; target genes by 3, 3'-diindolylmethane.</a> Endocrinology. 151 (4), 1662-1667 (2010).</li><li>Whitten, P. L., Patisaul, H. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cross-species+and+interassay+comparisons+of+phytoestrogen+action.">Cross-species and interassay comparisons of phytoestrogen action.</a> Environmental Health Perspectives. 109, 5-20 (2001).</li><li>Di Gioia, F., Petropoulos, S. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Advances in Food and Nutrition Research. , (2019).</li><li>Lutz, I., Kloas, W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Amphibians+as+a+model+to+study+endocrine+disruptors:+I.+Environmental+pollution+and+estrogen+receptor+binding.">Amphibians as a model to study endocrine disruptors: I. Environmental pollution and estrogen receptor binding.</a> Science of The Total Environment. 225 (1), 49-57 (1999).</li><li>Felcyn, J. R., Davis, J. C. C., Tran, L. H., Berude, J. C., Latch, D. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Aquatic+Photochemistry+of+Isoflavone+Phytoestrogens:+Degradation+Kinetics+and+Pathways.">Aquatic Photochemistry of Isoflavone Phytoestrogens: Degradation Kinetics and Pathways.</a> Environmental Science &amp; Technology. 46 (12), 6698-6704 (2012).</li><li>Jeng, Y. -. J., Kochukov, M. Y., Watson, C. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Membrane+estrogen+receptor-alpha-mediated+nongenomic+actions+of+phytoestrogens+in+GH3/B6/F10+pituitary+tumor+cells.">Membrane estrogen receptor-alpha-mediated nongenomic actions of phytoestrogens in GH3/B6/F10 pituitary tumor cells.</a> Journal of Molecular Signaling. 4, 2-2 (2009).</li><li>Dixon, R. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Phytoestrogens.">Phytoestrogens.</a> Annual Review of Plant Biology. 55, (2004).</li><li>Kuiper, G. G. J. M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Interaction+of+Estrogenic+Chemicals+and+Phytoestrogens+with+Estrogen+Receptor+&#946;.">Interaction of Estrogenic Chemicals and Phytoestrogens with Estrogen Receptor &#946;.</a> Endocrinology. 139 (10), 4252-4263 (1998).</li><li>Wasserman, M. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Feeding on Phytoestrogens: Implications of Estrogenic Plants for Primate Ecology. , (2011).</li><li>Jefferson, W. N., Patisaul, H. B., Williams, C. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Reproductive+consequences+of+developmental+phytoestrogen+exposure.">Reproductive consequences of developmental phytoestrogen exposure.</a> Reproduction. 143 (3), 247-260 (2012).</li></ol>

The ER&#946;&#160;reporter assay developed to individually screen pharmaceutical agents is also suitable for screening plant foods for phytoestrogens biologically active through the ER&#946;. Important considerations in the protocol include treating the plant samples with care: fresh plant material needs to be dried swiftly to prevent molding or other biological degradation, and it needs to be kept away from light to prevent photolysis of the compounds18. The assay protocol12</su...

Plants are a necessary source of food for many animals, providing calories and nutrients critical to survival, reproduction, growth, development, and behavior1. Plants produce thousands of chemicals, many as adaptations for their own growth, stomatic maintenance, and reproduction. Other compounds, deemed plant secondary metabolites (PSMs), have functions that are less clear, though some are toxic and likely used as a defense against herbivory and parasitism (e.g., alkaloids, tannins)2,3. Some of these chemicals have the ability to affect long term physiological processes in animals, such as endocrine functioning, although why these endocrine-active phytochemicals interact with the vertebrate endocrine system is still unclear2,4.
Phytoestrogens, the most well studied endocrine-active phytochemicals, are polyphenolic PSMs that structurally and functionally mimic estrogens, directly interacting with the hypothalomo-pituitary gonadal axis of the vertebrate endocrine system5. Ingestion of phytoestrogens in the human diet is associated with protection against some cancers, heart disease, and menopausal symptoms, though other effects include fertility problems. In fact, the physiological effects of these compounds were discovered in the 1940s when infertility in sheep was attributed to their grazing on phytoestrogen-rich clover (Trifolium subterrareum)6. When ingested, phytoestrogens can pass into cells and mimic the effects of estrogen. While phytoestrogens had negative effects on sheep fertility, the relationship between phytoestrogens and physiology is not simple. Like sheep, southern white rhinoceros display sensitivity to estrogenic compounds in feed derived from high quantities of soy and alfalfa. Daughters of females fed this diet during pregnancy are less likely to reproduce7. However, other studies have shown that phytoestrogens may have positive effects as well, including maturation of ovarian follicles in older mice8, prevention of certain cancers, antioxidant activity, and antiproliferative effects9.
The breadth of effects of phytoestrogens are not surprising given that estrogens affect a wide array of biological functions, including growth,&#160;development, and regulation of the reproductive and central nervous systems10. Although there are many mechanisms of action, phytoestrogens often have the ability to modify, enhance, or disrupt estrogen signaling through their ability to act as ligands for the intranuclear estrogen receptors alpha and beta (ER&#945; and ER&#946;). Many phytoestrogens have a phenolic ring structure similar to estrogens that allows them to bind estrogen receptors. Those with agonistic estrogenic activity function like estrogen, forming an activated ER-ligand complex that can dimerize and bind to an estrogen response element (ERE) and trigger gene transcription11. Thus, estrogens and phytoestrogens regulate cell activity and system functions through their actions as transcription factors.
Here we present the novel use of a cell-based assay to screen plant extracts for the presence of compounds that have estrogenic biological activity. This assay uses Chinese hamster ovary CHO cells engineered to highly express ER&#946;, which have been transfected with the firefly (Photinus pyralis) luciferase gene linked to an ERE promoter12. When estrogenic compounds are present, they bind to the ER, dimerize, and bind to the ERE, leading to transcription of the luciferase gene. Upon addition of a substrate solution, the luciferase catalyzes a reaction leading to photon emission. Therefore, positive samples produce light and negative samples do not.
This commercially available assay eliminates the need for laboratories to transfect the mammalian cells with the reporter gene and estrogen receptor13,14, which was unstable and variable in efficacy. The assay provides a stable transfection platform that allows for quickly and simply determining whether a plant has estrogenic activity via receptor binding.
We test the hypothesis that soybeans have higher estrogenic activity than all other foods given their known concentrations of estrogenic isoflavones15 using human foods from local grocers.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:721px;" width="722">
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	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">1000 &#181;L pipette</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td style="width:308px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">20 &#181;L pipette</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">200 &#181;L pipette</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">37 &#8451; water bath</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="46">
			<td height="46" style="height:46px;width:215px;">37 &#8451;, humidified 5% CO2 incubator</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">70% ethanol</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">analytical balance</td>
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			<td></td>
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		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:215px;">cell culture-rated laminar flow hood</td>
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			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">dimethyl sulfoxide</td>
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			<td></td>
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		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">disposable media basin, sterile</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">drip filtration system</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Erlenmeyer flasks</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td>125 mL and 250 mL</td>
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		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">HPLC grade methanol</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:215px;">Human ER&#946; Reporter Assay System, 1 x 96-well format assays</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">Indigo Biosciences</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">IB00411</td>
			<td>Assay kit - analyzes 24 samples plus standard curve</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">lyophilizer</td>
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			<td></td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">multi-channel pipette</td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">orbital shaker</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
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		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">plate-reading luminometer</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td>ex. Bioteck Synergy HTX</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">rotory evaporator</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
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		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">round bottom flasks</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td>50 mL and 300 mL</td>
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		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:215px;">sterile microcentrifuge tubes or sterile multi-channel media basins</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">sterile tips</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td>200 &#181;L and 1000 &#181;L</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Whatman grade 1 paper</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
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		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">whirl-pak bags</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td>sterile polyethylene bags</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

screening for phytoestrogens using a cell-based estrogen receptor  &#946; reporter assay

Plants are a source of food for many animals, and&#160;they can produce thousands of chemicals. Some of these compounds affect physiological processes in the vertebrates that consume them, such as endocrine function. Phytoestrogens, the most well studied endocrine-active phytochemicals, directly interact with the hypothalamo-pituitary gonadal axis of the vertebrate endocrine system. Here we present the novel use of a cell-based assay to screen plant extracts for the presence of compounds that have estrogenic biological activity. This assay uses mammalian cells engineered to highly express estrogen receptor beta (ER&#946;) and that have been transfected with a luciferase gene. Exposure to compounds with estrogenic activity results in the cells producing light. This assay is a reliable and simple way to test for biological estrogenic activity. It has several improvements over transient transfection assays, most notably, ease of use, the stability of the cells, and the sensitivity of the assay.

Twenty-two extracts of fruits and vegetables commonly found in human diets were screened for the presence of estrogenic compounds. A variety of foods were assayed, including legumes, such as soybeans, snow peas, and snap peas, as the pea family is a known source of phytoestrogens16, as well as figs, dates, corn, carrots, apples, bananas, strawberries, tomato, kale, and cabbage. Endocrine disrupting compounds are found in common substances (e.g., plastics and pesticides) and some are biologically a...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Screening for Phytoestrogens using a Cell-based Estrogen Receptor  Î² Reporter Assay at JoVE.com

Screening for Phytoestrogens using a Cell-based Estrogen Receptor  &amp;#946; Reporter Assay

We have optimized a commercially available estrogen receptor &#946; reporter assay for screening human and nonhuman primate foods for estrogenic activity. We validated this assay by showing that the known estrogenic human food soy registers high, while other foods show no activity.

Screening for Phytoestrogens using a Cell-based Estrogen Receptor  &#946; Reporter Assay

Plants are a source of food for many animals, and&#160;they can produce thousands of chemicals. Some of these compounds affect physiological processes in ...

We use this assay to assess whether plant foods contain phytosteriods, which can affect physiological processes in animals, as well as behavior and reproductive success. This assay provides a simple and reliable method for determining whether plants produce estrogenic compounds with biological activity. This method was developed initially to screen drugs with xenoestrogen activity for applications in medicine.For example, inhibiting cell proliferation. We are using it to provide insight into primate ecology and evolution. It is important to have practice working with aseptic technique in a clean environment prior to attempting this assay, as it is very sensitive to contamination.Begin by freeze-drying the fresh plant items with the lyophilizer, then finely grind them using a grinding mill with a 0.85 millimeter mesh screen. Store the ground samples in bags in the dark until extraction. To extract any potential phytosteroids in the plants, add dried sample to an appropriately sized flask, then at HPLC grade methanol.Cover the plant methanol solution with aluminum foil and set it to rotate at 100 RPM for three days on an orbital shaker. After three days, use filter paper to decant the supernate and into a drip filtration system. Dry the plant extract with a rotary evaporator until it is thickened, but pourable in a 300 milliliter round bottom flask.Pour the sample into a 50 milliliter flask and rinse the large flask with a small amount of methanol, then continue to dry the sample in the small flask until the methanol is completely evaporated. When finished, weigh the sample residue with an analytical balance and record the mass. Dissolve the plant extract in DMSO at a concentration of 0.1 gram of extract to two milliliters of DMSO and vortex it until homogenized.DMSO is not toxic on its own, but it is a vehicle that allows other substances to cross membranes. Since we do not know if our plants contain toxic chemicals, all are treated as if they're hazardous. Do not allow the solution to touch skin, replace gloves if contaminated, and wear thick, close-toed shoes and lab coats.Store the sample at four degrees Celsius in amber glass vials until ready to use. Vortex the samples, then add four microliters of each sample to 496 microliters of compound screening medium to yield a 0.8%DMSO solution. Disinfect the outside surface of a pre-warmed cell recovery medium tube with 70%ethanol and transfer 10 milliliters of the medium into a tube of frozen reporter cells to thaw them.Close the tube of reporter cells and place it in a 37 degrees Celsius water bath for five to 10 minutes. After retrieving the cells from the water bath, gently invert the tube several times to break up aggregates of cells and produce a homogenous suspension, then clean the surface of the tube with 70%ethanol. Use a multi-channel pipette to dispense 100 microliters of the reporter cell suspension into each well of a 96 well plate, then dispense 100 microliters of samples in triplicate into the appropriate wells.Incubate the plate at 37 degrees Celsius and 5%carbon dioxide for 22 to 24 hours. Just prior to the end of the plate incubation remove detection substrate and detection buffer from the refrigerator and place them in a low light area until equilibrated to room temperature, then gently invert each tube to mix the solutions. Immediately before the plate incubation is complete, pour the entire contents of the detection buffer into the tube of detection substrate to create luciferase detection reagent.Mix the tube gently so as not to produce foam. Discard the contents of the sample plate into inappropriate waste container and gently tap it on a clean absorbent paper towel to remove the last droplets from the wells. Add 100 microliters of the luciferase detection reagent to each well and allow the assay plate to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes, then quantify the luminescence using a 96 well plate reading luminometer.22 extracts of fruits and vegetables commonly found in human diets were screened for the presence of estrogenic compounds. Estrogenic activity is presented in an ordinal qualitative manner of high, medium, low, or no activity. Organic and non-organic soybeans screened at high levels of activity, while all other fruit and vegetable items registered no activity.Comparing soybean results to the standard curve also shows that they have high estrogenic activity levels at this concentration. Soybean extract, a known potent source of the isoflavones, daidzein and genistein, was further used to determine the dilution yielding a 50%signal to the maximum. This extract requires 422 times more dilution to produce half the signal of our standard dilution protocol.Samples identified with activity could be sent for analysis by mass spectrometry to identify the active chemicals. Using an antagonist method, we could also determine if the plant food contains chemicals that reduce the binding and activity of endogenous estrogens. This technique allows us to further our understanding of how prevalent estrogenic foods are in primate diets, as well as how consumption of phytoestrogens affects physiology and behavior when the assay is combined with fecal hormone analyses and field data.

screening-for-phytoestrogens-using-cell-based-estrogen-receptor

Research

JoVE Journal

Biochemistry

High-throughput Screening of Carbohydrate-degrading Enzymes Using Novel Insoluble Chromogenic Substrate Assay Kits

Carbohydrates active enzymes (CAZymes) have multiple roles in vivo and are widely used for industrial processing in the biofuel, textile, detergent, paper and food industries. A deeper understanding of CAZymes is important from both fundamental biology and industrial standpoints. Vast numbers of CAZymes exist in nature (especially in microorganisms) and hundreds of thousands have been cataloged and described in the carbohydrate active enzyme database (CAZy). However, the rate of discovery of putative enzymes has outstripped our ability to biochemically characterize their activities. One reason for this is that advances in genome and transcriptome sequencing, together with associated bioinformatics tools allow for rapid identification of candidate CAZymes, but technology for determining an enzyme's biochemical characteristics has advanced more slowly. To address this technology gap, a novel high-throughput assay kit based on insoluble chromogenic substrates is described here. Two distinct substrate types were produced: Chromogenic Polymer Hydrogel (CPH) substrates (made from purified polysaccharides and proteins) and Insoluble Chromogenic Biomass (ICB) substrates (made from complex biomass materials). Both CPH and ICB substrates are provided in a 96-well high-throughput assay system. The CPH substrates can be made in four different colors, enabling them to be mixed together and thus increasing assay throughput. The protocol describes a 96-well plate assay and illustrates how this assay can be used for screening the activities of enzymes, enzyme cocktails, and broths.

A high-throughput assay for enzyme screening is described. This multiplexed ready-to-use assay kit comprises of pre-chosen Chromogenic Polymer Hydrogel (CPH) substrates and complex Insoluble Chromogenic Biomass (ICB) substrates. Target enzymes are polysaccharide degrading endo-enzymes and proteases.

Carbohydrates active enzymes (CAZymes) have multiple roles in vivo and are widely used for industrial processing in the biofuel, textile, detergent, paper ...

Bacterial Inner-membrane Display for Screening a Library of Antibody Fragments

Antibodies engineered for intracellular function must not only have affinity for their target antigen, but must also be soluble and correctly folded in the cytoplasm. Commonly used methods for the display and screening of recombinant antibody libraries do not incorporate intracellular protein folding quality control, and, thus, the antigen-binding capability and cytoplasmic folding and solubility of antibodies engineered using these methods often must be engineered separately. Here, we describe a protocol to screen a recombinant library of single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies for antigen-binding and proper cytoplasmic folding simultaneously. The method harnesses the intrinsic intracellular folding quality control mechanism of the Escherichia coli twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway to display an scFv library on the E. coli inner membrane. The Tat pathway ensures that only soluble, well-folded proteins are transported out of the cytoplasm and displayed on the inner membrane, thereby eliminating poorly folded scFvs prior to interrogation for antigen-binding. Following removal of the outer membrane, the scFvs displayed on the inner membrane are panned against a target antigen immobilized on magnetic beads to isolate scFvs that bind to the target antigen. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based secondary screen is used to identify the most promising scFvs for additional characterization. Antigen-binding and cytoplasmic solubility can be improved with subsequent rounds of mutagenesis and screening to engineer antibodies with high affinity and high cytoplasmic solubility for intracellular applications.

We provide a method to simultaneously screen a library of antibody fragments for binding affinity and cytoplasmic solubility by using the Escherichia coli twin-arginine translocation pathway, which has an inherent quality control mechanism for intracellular protein folding, to display the antibody fragments on the inner membrane.

Antibodies engineered for intracellular function must not only have affinity for their target antigen, but must also be soluble and correctly folded in ...

A Simple Method for High Throughput Chemical Screening in Caenorhabditis Elegans

Caenorhabditis elegans is a useful organism for testing chemical effects on physiology. Whole organism small molecule screens offer significant advantages for identifying biologically active chemical structures that can modify complex phenotypes such as lifespan. Described here is a simple protocol for producing hundreds of 96-well culture plates with fairly consistent numbers of C. elegans in each well. Next, we specified how to use these cultures to screen thousands of chemicals for effects on the lifespan of the nematode C. elegans. This protocol makes use of temperature sensitive sterile strains, agar plate conditions, and simple animal handling to facilitate the rapid and high throughput production of synchronized animal cultures for screening.

A Simple Method for High Throughput Chemical Screening in Caenorhabditis Elegans

Here we describe a simple protocol for rapidly producing hundreds of nematode growth media agar, 96-well culture plates with consistent numbers of Caenorhhabditis elegans per well. These cultures are useful for the phenotypic screening of whole organisms. We focus here on using these cultures to screen chemicals for pro-longevity effects.

Caenorhabditis elegans is a useful organism for testing chemical effects on physiology. Whole organism small molecule screens offer significant advantages ...

Extracellular Protein Microarray Technology for High Throughput Detection of Low Affinity Receptor-Ligand Interactions

Secreted factors, membrane-tethered receptors, and their interacting partners are main regulators of cellular communication and initiation of signaling cascades during homeostasis and disease, and as such represent prime therapeutic targets. Despite their relevance, these interaction networks remain significantly underrepresented in current databases; therefore, most extracellular proteins have no documented binding partner. This discrepancy is primarily due to the challenges associated with the study of the extracellular proteins, including expression of functional proteins, and the weak, low affinity, protein interactions often established between cell surface receptors. The purpose of this method is to describe the printing of a library of extracellular proteins in a microarray format for screening of protein-protein interactions. To enable detection of weak interactions, a method based on multimerization of the query protein under study is described. Coupled to this microbead-based multimerization approach for increased multivalency, the protein microarray allows robust detection of transient protein-protein interactions in high throughput. This method offers a rapid and low sample consuming-approach for identification of new interactions applicable to any extracellular protein. Protein microarray printing and screening protocol are described. This technology will be useful for investigators seeking a robust method for discovery of protein interactions in the extracellular space.

Here, we present a protocol to screen extracellular protein microarrays for identification of novel receptor-ligand interactions in high throughput. We also describe a method to enhance detection of transient protein-protein interactions by using protein-microbead complexes.

Secreted factors, membrane-tethered receptors, and their interacting partners are main regulators of cellular communication and initiation of signaling ...

An In Vivo Estrogen Deficiency Mouse Model for Screening Exogenous Estrogen Treatments of Cardiovascular Dysfunction After Menopause

Postmenopausal women are at greater risk of developing cardiovascular diseases than premenopausal women. Female mice ovariectomized (OVX) at weaning display increased atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta compared with female mice with intact ovarian function. However, laboratory models involving estrogen-deficient mice with atherosclerosis-prone status are lacking. This deficit is crucial because clinical estrogen deficiency in menopausal women may aggravate the incidence of pre-existing or ongoing lipid disruption and atherosclerosis. In this study, we establish an in vivo estrogen-deficient mouse model by bilateral ovariectomy via a double dorsal-lateral incision in apolipoprotein E (apoE)-/- mice. We then compare the effects of 17&#946;-estradiol and pseudoprotodioscin (PPD) (a phytoestrogen) perorally administered via hazelnut spread. We find that although PPD exerts some effect on reducing final body weight and plasma TG in OVX apoE-/- mice, it has anti-atherosclerotic and cardiac-protective capacities comparable with its 17&#946;-estradiol counterpart. PPD is a phytoestrogen that has been reported to exert anti-tumor properties. Thus, the proposed method is applicable for screening phytoestrogens via peroral administration to substitute for traditional hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women, which has been reported to have potentially deleterious tumorigenetic capacity. Peroral administration via hazelnut spread is noninvasive, rendering it widely applicable to many patients. This article contains step-by-step demonstrations of bilateral ovariectomy via the double dorsal-lateral incision in apoE-/- mice and peroral 17&#946;-estradiol or phytoestrogen hormone replacement via hazelnut spread. Plasma lipid and cardiovascular function analyses using echocardiography follow.

Clinically, estrogen deficiency in menopausal women may aggravate the incidence of lipid disruption and atherosclerosis. We established an in vivo estrogen deficiency model by bilateral ovariectomy via a double dorsal-lateral incision in apoE-/- mice. The mouse model is applicable for screening exogenous estrogen treatments of cardiovascular dysfunction after menopause.

Postmenopausal women are at greater risk of developing cardiovascular diseases than premenopausal women. Female mice ovariectomized (OVX) at weaning ...

Kinetic Screening of Nuclease Activity using Nucleic Acid Probes

Nucleases are a class of enzymes that break down nucleic acids by catalyzing the hydrolysis of the phosphodiester bonds that link the ribose sugars. Nucleases display a variety of vital physiological roles in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, ranging from maintaining genome stability to providing protection against pathogens. Altered nuclease activity has been associated with several pathological conditions including bacterial infections and cancer. To this end, nuclease activity has shown great potential to be exploited as a specific biomarker. However, a robust and reproducible screening method based on this activity remains highly desirable.
Herein, we introduce a method that enables screening for nuclease activity using nucleic acid probes as substrates, with the scope of differentiating between pathological and healthy conditions. This method offers the possibility of designing new probe libraries, with increasing specificity, in an iterative manner. Thus, multiple rounds of screening are necessary to refine the probes&#39; design with enhanced features, taking advantage of the availability of chemically modified nucleic acids. The considerable potential of the proposed technology lies in its flexibility, high reproducibility, and versatility for the screening of nuclease activity associated with disease conditions. It is expected that this technology will allow the development of promising diagnostic tools with a great potential in the clinic.

Altered nuclease activity has been associated with different human conditions, underlying its potential as a biomarker. The modular and easy to implement screening methodology presented in this paper allows the selection of specific nucleic acid probes for harnessing nuclease activity as a biomarker of disease.

Nucleases are a class of enzymes that break down nucleic acids by catalyzing the hydrolysis of the phosphodiester bonds that link the ribose sugars. ...

A Semi-High-Throughput Adaptation of the NADH-Coupled ATPase Assay for Screening Small Molecule Inhibitors

ATPase enzymes utilize the free energy stored in adenosine triphosphate to catalyze a wide variety of endergonic biochemical processes in vivo that would not occur spontaneously. These proteins are crucial for essentially all aspects of cellular life, including metabolism, cell division, responses to environmental changes and movement. The protocol presented here describes a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH)-coupled ATPase assay that has been adapted to semi-high throughput screening of small molecule ATPase inhibitors. The assay has been applied to cardiac and skeletal muscle myosin II's, two actin-based molecular motor ATPases, as a proof of principle. The hydrolysis of ATP is coupled to the oxidation of NADH by enzymatic reactions in the assay. First, the ADP generated by the ATPase is regenerated to ATP by pyruvate kinase (PK). PK catalyzes the transition of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to pyruvate in parallel. Subsequently, pyruvate is reduced to lactate by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which catalyzes the oxidation of NADH in parallel. Thus, the decrease in ATP concentration is directly correlated to the decrease in NADH concentration, which is followed by change to the intrinsic fluorescence of NADH. As long as PEP is available in the reaction system, the ADP concentration remains very low, avoiding inhibition of the ATPase enzyme by its own product. Moreover, the ATP concentration remains nearly constant, yielding linear time courses. The fluorescence is monitored continuously, which allows for easy estimation of the quality of data and helps to filter out potential artifacts (e.g., arising from compound precipitation or thermal changes).

A nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH)-coupled ATPase assay has been adapted to semihigh throughput screening of small molecule myosin inhibitors. This kinetic assay is run in a 384-well microplate format with total reaction volumes of only 20 &#181;L per well. The platform should be applicable to virtually any ADP producing enzyme.

ATPase enzymes utilize the free energy stored in adenosine triphosphate to catalyze a wide variety of endergonic biochemical processes in vivo that would ...

Visualization of Estrogen Receptors in Colons of Mice with TNBS-Induced Crohn's Disease using Immunofluorescence

Crohn&#39;s disease is the most diagnosed type of inflammatory bowel disease. Chronic inflammation developing in the intestine leads to peristalsis disorder and damage of intestinal mucosa and seems to be associated with an increased risk of colon neoplastic transformation. Accumulating evidence indicates that estrogens and estrogen receptors affect not only hormone-sensitive tissues, but also other tissues not directly related to estrogens, such as the lungs or colon. Here, we describe the protocol for the successful immunofluorescence staining of estrogen receptors in colon obtained from a murine model of TNBS-induced Crohn&#39;s disease. A detailed protocol for the induction of Crohn&#39;s disease in mice and intestine preparation is provided as well as a step-by-step immunohistochemical procedure using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded intestine sections. The described methods are not only useful for estrogen receptor detection and estrogen signaling investigation in vivo but can also be applied to for other proteins which may be involved in the development of colitis.

Visualization of Estrogen Receptors in Colons of Mice with TNBS-Induced Crohn&#039;s Disease using Immunofluorescence

The protocol presents a complete validated TNBS-induced murine model of Crohn&#39;s disease and methods for visualization of estrogen receptors by immunohistochemistry using immunofluorescence of formalin-fixed colon sections embedded in paraffin.

Crohn&#39;s disease is the most diagnosed type of inflammatory bowel disease. Chronic inflammation developing in the intestine leads to peristalsis ...

Parallel Interrogation of &#946;-Arrestin2 Recruitment for Ligand Screening on a GPCR-Wide Scale using PRESTO-Tango Assay

As the largest and most versatile gene superfamily and mediators of a gamut of cellular signaling pathways, G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent one of the most promising targets for the pharmaceutical industry. Ergo, the design, implementation, and optimization of GPCR ligand screening assays is crucial, as they represent remote-control tools for drug discovery and for manipulating GPCR pharmacology and outcomes. In the past, G-protein dependent assays typified this area of research, detecting ligand-induced events and quantifying the generation of secondary messengers. However, since the advent of functional selectivity, as well as an increased awareness of several other G protein-independent pathways and the limitations associated with G-protein dependent assays, there is a greater push towards the creation of alternative GPCR ligand screening assays. Towards this endeavor, we describe the application of one such resource, the PRESTO-Tango platform, a luciferase reporter-based system that enables the parallel and simultaneous interrogation of the human GPCR-ome, a feat which was previously considered technically and economically unfeasible. Based on a G-protein independent &#946;-arrestin2 recruitment assay, the universality of &#946;-arrestin2-mediated trafficking and signaling at GPCRs makes PRESTO-TANGO an apt tool for studying approximately 300 non-olfactory human GPCRs, including approximately 100 orphan receptors. PRESTO-Tango&#39;s sensitivity and robustness make it suitable for primary high-throughput screens using compound libraries, employed to uncover new GPCR targets for known drugs or to discover new ligands for orphan receptors.

Parallel Interrogation of &amp;#946;-Arrestin2 Recruitment for Ligand Screening on a GPCR-Wide Scale using PRESTO-Tango Assay

Given that GPCRs are attractive druggable targets, GPCR ligand screening is thus indispensable for the identification of lead compounds and for deorphanization studies. Towards these efforts, we describe PRESTO-Tango, an open-source resource platform used for simultaneous profiling of transient &#946;-arrestin2 recruitment at approximately 300 GPCRs using a TEV-based reporter assay.

As the largest and most versatile gene superfamily and mediators of a gamut of cellular signaling pathways, G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent ...

NMR-Based Fragment Screening in a Minimum Sample but Maximum Automation Mode

Fragment-based screening (FBS) is a well-validated and accepted concept within the drug discovery process both in academia and industry. The greatest advantage of NMR-based fragment screening is its ability not only to detect binders over 7-8 orders of magnitude of affinity but also to monitor purity and chemical quality of the fragments and thus to produce high quality hits and minimal false positives or false negatives. A prerequisite within the FBS is to perform initial and periodic quality control of the fragment library, determining solubility and chemical integrity of the fragments in relevant buffers, and establishing multiple libraries to cover diverse scaffolds to accommodate various macromolecule target classes (proteins/RNA/DNA). Further, an extensive NMR-based screening protocol optimization with respect to sample quantities, speed of acquisition and analysis at the level of biological construct/fragment-space, in condition-space (buffer, additives, ions, pH, and temperature) and in ligand-space (ligand analogues, ligand concentration) is required. At least in academia, these screening efforts have so far been undertaken manually in a very limited fashion, leading to limited availability of screening infrastructure not only in the drug development process but also in the context of chemical probe development. In order to meet the requirements economically, advanced workflows are presented. They take advantage of the latest state-of-the-art advanced hardware, with which the liquid sample collection can be filled in a temperature-controlled fashion into the NMR-tubes in an automated manner. 1H/19F NMR ligand-based spectra are then collected at a given temperature. High-throughput sample changer (HT sample changer) can handle more than 500 samples in temperature-controlled blocks. This together with advanced software tools speeds up data acquisition and analysis. Further, application of screening routines on protein and RNA samples are described to make aware of the established protocols for a broad user base in biomacromolecular research.

Fragment-based screening by NMR is a robust method to rapidly identify small molecule binders to biomacromolecules (DNA, RNA, or proteins). Protocols describing automation-based sample preparation, NMR experiments &#38; acquisition conditions, and analysis workflows are presented. The technique allows for optimal exploitation of both 1H and 19F NMR-active nuclei for detection.

Fragment-based screening (FBS) is a well-validated and accepted concept within the drug discovery process both in academia and industry. The greatest ...