Team:HiZJU-China/Description
EDCs，abbreviation of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, is a kind of compound that exists in the environment whose structure and function are similar to human hormone. The existence of EDCs will affect animal reproductive system, resulting in reproductive system abnormalities, diseases or even cancer.
Currently, EDCs such as dioxins, bisphenol A and other compounds, which are derived from chemical production and waste incineration, are widely concerned and strictly controlled. However, in our preliminary investigation, it is noticed that steroid estrogens, another type of EDCs, also with strong estrogen effect, received little attention in compare.
Steroid estrogen has similar structure to estrogen produced naturally by human body, and has been widely added in veterinary medicine and feed to accelerate ripening and cure. With the development of medicine, steroid estrogens are more widely used in the treatment of diseases of human reproductive system.
In 2019, steroid estrogens were included in the list of drugs and other compounds prohibited for use in food animals by the Ministry of Agriculture of China due to their possible adverse effects on humans and the ecological environment. However, because of its strong estrogenic effect, steroid estrogens may cause serious ecological problems such as feminization of male fish at very low concentrations (1ng/L). For a long time of production sewage, human and animal waste after taking drugs, steroid estrogen contamination has already been caused in Chinese water circulation system. Steroid estrogens in water system will be collected into the human body with the effect of biological amplification, resulting in childhood precocious puberty, ovarian cancer and other diseases. Trace levels of estrogen have also been found in treated drinking water in China. Facts and phenomenon above deserve more attention.
Among steroid estrogens which includes estradiol, estradiol and estriol, EE2 has attracted our special attention. EE2 is a steroid estrogen with the strongest estrogen effect and relatively stable chemical structure, so it is widely produced as a treatment for osteoporosis, menopausal syndrome, ovarian dysfunction and other diseases.
In our data search, we also found that EE2 is one of the two main components of short-acting contraceptives, which have gradually attracted more and more attention and favor from young women in recent years. The emission of EE2 by contraceptive users can reach 35μg per day (Ting and Praveena, 2017). Taking birth control pills alone, EE2 emissions can reach 700kg per year around the world, and this emission will continue to increase with the promotion of short-acting contraceptives with good contraceptive effect and minor side effects.
Therefore, we decided to further investigate the detection and degradation status of EE2 and their possible improvement.
Currently, there is no targeted degradation method for EE2.EE2 is often detected by HPLC, which requires high equipment and reagents, making it difficult to achieve high-throughput, portable and rapid detection.
The degradation part of the project introduce knowledge on synthetic biology and bio-chem reaction kinetics embodied in the transfer of amoA and Hao gene from Aeromonas hydrophila to E. Coli.
Targeting at the defect of temporary detection device like HPLC, time-consuming, cumbersome and expensive, we resort to synthetic biology and two-hybrid yeast technology and import Plasmid coupling protein and receptor into Saccharomyces cerevisiae in our detection part of the project.
