Chromatid gaps as a marker of mutagenic effect of environmental pollution in commensal and wild rodents of the Ural mountains.
It was supposed earlier that achromatic gaps could be used as markers of mutagenic effect of environmental pollution, especially under weaker clastogenic influences. The frequencies of true chromosome aberrations and those of chromatid gaps were estimated in house mice and common voles from Uralian localities with various mutagenic potential of environment. Gaps and breaks were distinguished according to the CBIS system. In several localities, rodents displayed highly significant increase of the rates of cells with chromosome aberrations and with gaps as compared to the baseline values; only in the common vole, the P level for the gap increase was 0.056. The mean gap rate was correlated significantly with that of chromosome aberrations, not only with chromatid breaks, but with the aberrations of other types, too. This parameter appears not to be more sensitive indicator of environmental mutagens than true chromosome mutations, when mutagenic impact is not very powerful, as it was in the localities investigated. The house mouse can be recommended as an effective test species for ecogenetic monitoring.
Gileva
E A
EA
Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Ekaterinburg.
D000818:Animals; D003411:Arvicolinae / Q000235:genetics*; D002842:Chromatids / Q000235:genetics*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D005819:Genetic Markers; D051379:Mice / Q000235:genetics*; D009153:Mutagens / Q000633:toxicity*; D012426:Russia
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005819:Genetic Markers; D009153:Mutagens