title: Tradescantia stamen-hair system as an excellent botanical tester of mutagenicity: its responses to ionizing radiations and chemical mutagens, and some synergistic effects found.
abstract: The stamen-hair system of Tradescantia heterozygous for flower color (blue/pink, the pink color being recessive) is an excellent botanical tester of mutagenicity. It is especially useful for detection of the genetic effects of both ionizing radiations and chemical mutagens at the low levels of exposure to which the human population may actually be exposed. This system exhibits a high accuracy in laboratory experiments, and is also applicable for in situ monitoring in the environment. The use of the Tradescantia stamen-hair system is inexpensive and requires only a short training time. Simplified scoring methods which endorse a high statistical accuracy have newly been developed to score larger samples of pink somatic mutations. In the present paper, the most widely used clones, methods for their cultivation, and use in a variety of experiments with radiations and chemical mutagens are also reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Regulation Biology, Faculty of Science, Saitama University, Urawa, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
mesh_terms: D002842:Chromatids / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D005720:Gamma Rays; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D009153:Mutagens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010944:Plants / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000528:radiation effects; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing; D014965:X-Rays
chemical_list: D009153:Mutagens