Processes for detecting toxic substances

Abstract

Biology-based processes for detecting toxic substances are provided. The processes comprise detecting mRNA that is expressed in the presence of toxic substances by a cell comprising a yeast gene as followed, or a gene that is homologous to the yeast genes and is derived from other species, wherein the mRNA corresponds to said yeast gene or said homologous gene thereof.

Description

FILED OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates to biology-based processes for detecting toxic substances, and specifically to processes for detecting toxic substances which comprises detecting mRNA that is transcribed in the presence of test materials by a particular gene from yeast. BACKGROUND ART [0002] Environmental chemical fate search has been conducted every year for 24 years from 1974 through 1998 by Environment Agency, and revealed that about 40% of 775 chemical substances that have been searched so far are emitted into the environment. Chemical substances that are industrially produced at the present in Japan are estimated about 50,000, and the production scale and the kinds of chemical substances are increasing year by year. It is known that chemical substances that are accidentally produced by water treatment with chlorine and incineration pollute the environment. Although such facts allow us to predict that there are a large number of chemical substances that have ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

It is known that chemical substances that are accidentally produced by water treatment with chlorine and incineration pollute the environment.

Although such facts allow us to predict that there are a large number of chemical substances that have been accumulated in the environment, it is extremely difficult to search and examine individually the all chemical substances.

Conventional bioassays (approaches to evaluate the harmful effects on biological materials on the basis of their responses) wherein inhibited growth and particular biological responses in individuals and cells of fishes, daphnia and shellfish are used as indicators make it possible to determine the presence or absence of the toxicity of chemical substances in the environment, but neither possible to evaluate the characters nor origins of the toxicity.

However, those devices still involve conventional bioassays, and never provide any detailed information of toxic chemical substances.

However, any system has not been yet organized that could quickly respond to the present complicated and diversified conditions including accidental productions and environmental emission of toxic chemical substance as typified by trihalomethane and dioxin.

Animal experiments as used in the method for evaluation of toxic substance of “Law Concerning Examination and Manufacture, etc. of Chemical Substances” are expensive and time-consuming, and are not accepted across the world.

Although, as such, the control system has been continuously discussed, it has not been successfully accomplished because there is no way to dissolve the problem.

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