Gene expression assay for hazard assessment of chemicals.

Recent progress in our knowledge of gene expression systems provides evidence that many industrial chemicals affect the transcriptional machineries directly or indirectly, and gene expression is now recognized as one of the main targets of many chemicals. In view of the increasing number of man-made chemicals, it is therefore necessary to establish a reliable gene expression assay with rapidity and high sensitivity. Among various gene expression assays, the so-called reporter assay is now accepted as a suitable tool to assess hazardous effects of chemicals on gene expression. This article focuses on the principle and applications of the reporter assay in research on endocrine disrupters.