Transgenic clawed frog embryos and use thereof as detectors of endocrine disrupters in the environment

A method for identifying the presence of at least one endocrine disrupter environmental pollutant, comprising:

• a) sensitizing with Tri-iodothyronine (T3) hormone a first germinal transgenic Xenopus embryo and a second germinal transgenic Xenopus embryo;
• wherein said first embryo and said second embryo each comprise in its genome an expression cassette comprising an heterologous promoter operably linked to (i) a regulatory DNA sequence from a vertebrate, said regulatory sequence is a nuclear hormone receptor response element comprising at least SEQ ID NO:2 and SEQ ID NO:3 and is functionally linked upstream of (ii) a DNA element encoding a reporter protein and a polyadenylation signal and (iii) an insulator sequence at each end of the expression cassette;
• b) contacting said first embryo with a first aqueous medium suspected of comprising said at least one environmental pollutant, wherein said first aqueous medium comprises water of a natural aquatic medium;
• c) contacting said second embryo with a second aqueous medium serving as control;
• d) determining expression of the reporter protein in the first embryo and the second embryo;
• and
• e) comparing the determined expressions to identify the presence or absence of said environmental pollutant in the first aqueous medium.