Repository logo
 

In Silico Guidance for In Vitro Androgen and Glucocorticoid Receptor ToxCast Assays.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

No Thumbnail Available

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Nelms, Mark D 
Edwards, Stephen W 
Goodman, Jonathan M  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8693-9136
Gutsell, Steve 

Abstract

Molecular initiating events (MIEs) are key events in adverse outcome pathways that link molecular chemistry to target biology. As they are based on chemistry, these interactions are excellent targets for computational chemistry approaches to in silico modeling. In this work, we aim to link ligand chemical structures to MIEs for androgen receptor (AR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) binding using ToxCast data. This has been done using an automated computational algorithm to perform maximal common substructure searches on chemical binders for each target from the ToxCast dataset. The models developed show a high level of accuracy, correctly assigning 87.20% of AR binders and 96.81% of GR binders in a 25% test set using holdout cross-validation. The 2D structural alerts developed can be used as in silico models to predict these MIEs and as guidance for in vitro ToxCast assays to confirm hits. These models can target such experimental work, reducing the number of assays to be performed to gain required toxicological insight. Development of these models has also allowed some structural alerts to be identified as predictors for agonist or antagonist behavior at the receptor target. This work represents a first step in using computational methods to guide and target experimental approaches.

Description

Keywords

Algorithms, Androgens, Computer Simulation, Protein Binding, Receptors, Androgen, Receptors, Glucocorticoid, Toxicity Tests

Journal Title

Environ Sci Technol

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0013-936X
1520-5851

Volume Title

54

Publisher

American Chemical Society (ACS)

Rights

All rights reserved
Sponsorship
Unilever Research Participation Program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. EPA