LAUSR

Environmental waters are polluted by various chemicals originating from human activities. Recently, the environmental risk of juvenile hormones (JHs) to aquatic microcrustaceans has been recognized by risk assessors and researchers. JH is a major arthropod hormone that regulates molting and reproduction and has analogs that have been used as insect growth regulators. JHs are known to disturb the sex determination system of Daphnia, which is a keystone animal in limnetic ecosystems and is not the target of extermination. To assess the risk of contaminant chemicals and to protect biodiversity, reliable methods for detecting such chemicals are essential. In this study, we attempted to establish a practical in vitro reporter assay system for detecting chemicals with JH activity. Using a newly constructed reporter vector (modified from the JH response element of Tribolium castaneum Krüppel homolog 1, which is a major JH responsive gene in insects), strong JH‐dependent transcriptional activity (>40‐fold activation) was found in Chinese hamster ovary cells that express JH receptors of Daphnia pulex. Dose‐response analysis conducted on several JH and non‐JH chemicals revealed that the established reporter assay system has strict specificity to JH chemicals, and the half maximum effective concentration (EC50) was between 10−7 and 10−9 m. These results suggest that the new system is a rapid and economical method for assessing the environmental risk of JH‐active chemicals.