Electrochemical detection of xenoestrogenic and antiestrogenic compounds using a yeast two-hybrid-17-β-estradiol system

The goal of this study was to determine the effects of various compounds on the 17-β-estradiol-induced dimerization of the human estrogen receptor alpha (hERα), a nuclear transcription factor. For this purpose, we used a modified yeast two-hybrid (YTH) bioassay designed to study protein–protein interactions, based on the electrochemical monitoring of hERα dimerization and detected as β-d-galactosidase reporter gene activity in a synthetic substrate p-aminophenyl-β-d-galactopyranoside (pAPG). Compared with 17-β-estradiol activity, genistein, bisphenol-A (BPA), and naringenin induced dimerization to a lower extent by four, five and six magnitudes of orders of magnitude, respectively. In the presence of physiological concentrations of 17-β-estradiol, both tamoxifen and the analgesic drug acetaminophen inhibited hER dimerization in an antiestrogenic manner.