Use of gene regulatory sensors to monitor environmental pollutant levels in small mammals and birds

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The abundance of pesticides and dioxin-like pollutants has massively increased in the environment due to human activity. Some of these chemicals are persistent and accumulate in the food chain, which raises major concerns regarding mid- and long-term exposure on human and even wildlife health. The classical way of measuring such pollutants in the environment is to sample water and soil sources by biochemical means to assess their abundance. Once these measurements are determined, it is decided whether they are within a range that is deemed "safe" for living creatures. However the major flaw with this is that how does one know how much of these chemicals are required to affect the health of individual species? Cells can be detoxified of pollutants and pesticides, at least in part, by the action of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which regulates xenobiotic metabolism enzymes belonging to the cytochrome P450 1A family (including CYP1A1 and CYP1B1). In theory, the more these