title: Effect of mitomycin C on the neural tube defects of the curly-tail mouse.
abstract: Around 60% of the mouse mutants called curly-tail, have tail aberrations in the form of a coil or a kink, with or without lumbosacral spina bifida, and rarely, exencephaly. These neural tube defects (NTD) are the result of an incompletely penetrant recessive gene. A single injection of various doses (1-6 mg/kg) of the DNA inhibitor mitomycin C was given to pregnant curly-tail mice on day 7, 8, or 9 of gestation, and its effect on the NTD of the embryos was noted. No dose used was lethal to the embryo. When given on day 7 or day 8, mitomycin C markedly increased the number of exencephalics, and additionally, on day 8, it reduced the number of posterior abnormalities. However, on day 9, no exencephaly was produced, and there was a drastic reduction in the number of tail and spinal defects, the overall incidence of NTD being as low as 15% with 2 mg/kg. A twofold effect of mitomycin C on the curly-tail embryos was thus observed--according to the time in development it was administered, firstly, a teratogenic effect, and later, a "remedial" or preventive effect.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D016685:Mitomycin; D008937:Mitomycins / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000235:genetics* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011247:Pregnancy; D013723:Teratogens
chemical_list: D008937:Mitomycins; D013723:Teratogens; D016685:Mitomycin