title: Comparison of behaviors for detection of heritable mutations.
abstract: Groups of five male HA (ICR) mice were injected intraperitoneally with 60, 150, 300, or 600 mg/kg body weight of ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) or with saline vehicle. Each male was mated to two untreated females at 2 and 5 weeks after treatment. The two successive matings utilized sperm derived from post- and pre-meiotic germ cells, respectively. Progeny were evaluated for litter size, body weight, negative geotactic response, swimming patterns, limb use while swimming, water escape time, and open-field motor coordination activity. Body weight, geotactic response, limb use, and open-field behavior test results demonstrated that EMS causes heritable behavior mutations in both post- and pre-meiotic germ cells. Among the tests that showed inherited differences between control and treated groups, the computer-monitored open-field behavior test was the most definitive.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo 49008.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ficsor
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goldner
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Panda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D005020:Ethyl Methanesulfonate / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D008098:Litter Size / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009154:Mutation; D011247:Pregnancy; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D005020:Ethyl Methanesulfonate