What is CALUX?
The CALUX Bioassay
The chemically activated luciferase gene expression (CALUX) in vitro cell bioassay is a bioanalytical tool increasingly used by research and commercial laboratories for screening of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in sample extracts. The assay is based on aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-mediated firefly luciferase expression in genetically modified rat or mouse hepatoma cell lines that express firefly luciferase upon exposure to dioxins or dioxin-like compounds. Since CALUX analyses provide a biological response to all Ah-receptor active compounds present in a sample extract, interpretation of results is much more complex than that of chemical analyses, as an array of parameters affects the results. The Bioassay Research Laboratory at EU-RL for Dioxins and PCBs examines critical methodological parameters and aspects of the CALUX bioassay that can affect quality and accuracy of the analyses.
CALUX technology comprises various fields of work and attention: Cell culturing and maintenance, sample fat extraction, followed by selective clean-up techniques, exposure of cultured cells to cleaned-up sample extracts containing dioxins and/or dioxin-like compounds, measurement of luciferase activity and statistical evaluation and interpretation of results.
CALUX technology comprises various fields of work and attention: Cell culturing and maintenance, sample fat extraction, followed by selective clean-up techniques, exposure of cultured cells to cleaned-up sample extracts containing dioxins and/or dioxin-like compounds, measurement of luciferase activity and statistical evaluation and interpretation of results.
Performance Evaluation of the CALUX Technology
Biologically based techniques hold the promise of screening large numbers of samples and greatly decreasing the time and cost of analyses. These techniques are based on the measurement of cellular response produced by enzyme activation. As one of the tasks assigned by the European Commission, the performance of bioassay technology available on the European market is evaluated with regard to their suitability for routine use by European official laboratories, namely, the DR-CALUX [BioDetection Systems (BDS), Netherlands], involving genetically modified H4IIe rat hepatoma cells, and the XDS-CALUX [Xenobiotic Detection Systems, USA] technologies, the latter originating from the research laboratories of Prof. M.S.Denison, University of California Davis (USA), involving genetically modified H1L6.1c3 mouse hepatoma cells. Included in the scope of EU-RL’s activities were also H1L6.1c3 mouse hepatoma cells directly obtained from Prof. M.S.Denison, for research purposes.
So there are two companies selling CALUX. BDS was the first to present in Israel at a seminar held at Bactochem, Nes Ziona. However, it was felt their price structure was too expensive so contacts were made with the US company XDS which had a much more reasonable licensing procedure.
Here are some illustrations from XDSI site
Dose response curves of the XDS-CALUX® assay to
various
PCDH
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