Abstract
Although destructive analysis has been frequently utilized for determining hormones and chemicals, it does not provide direct evidence of their physiological activities. Since we recently developed superluminescent and stable luciferases to improve the sensorial properties of the probes, the present review specifies our original speculation and the developing process. We also highlight a new technology using a luciferase that estimates hormonal activities of endocrine hormones and chemicals with both high sensitivity and sample throughput, using a single-chain probe that is genetically designed and synthesized with a luciferase as the molecular backbone. To demonstrate the advantages of the methodology, we exemplify (i) single-chain probes that illuminate the activities of sex hormones and stress hormones and (ii) the visualization of apoptosis signaling using bioluminescent capsules. (iii) We also developed a bioluminescence assay device that efficiently utilizes the advantages of the single-chain probes. The merits of the device, e.g., high sample throughput and multicolor imaging ability, were exemplified with a single-chain probe set that visualizes the bifacial activities of woman’s sex hormones. The present technology that quantitatively visualizes the activities of hormones and chemicals may be broadly applied for the screening of drug candidates, and for risk assessments of endocrine disruptors and toxic chemicals.
