title: Adaptive response to alkylating agents in the Drosophila sex-linked recessive lethal assay.
abstract: The adaptive response to alkylating agents was studied in Drosophila assays under various treatment procedures. Pre-treatment of males as well as treatment of females with low doses of EMS (0.05-0.1 mM) did not affect sex-linked recessive lethal (SLRL) rates induced by high doses of this mutagen (10 mM, various feeding duration) in mature sperm cells. Pre-treatment of males with a low dose of MMS (0.1 mM) enhanced mutagenesis induced by the high dose of EMS (10 mM) at different stages of spermatogenesis, the observed effects exceeding the additive action of both mutagens. On the contrary, larval pre-treatment with the adaptive dose of EMS (0.05 mM) resulted in resistance of their germ cells to higher doses of EMS (1 mM). Specifically, offspring production increased while dominant lethality in F(1) as well SLRL frequency in F(2) was significantly reduced as compared with the effects of larval exposure to the challenge dose. Under the conditions tested, the adaptive response of germ cells to alkylating agents was demonstrated in larvae, but not in adult flies.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Cytology, National Academy of Sciences, Akademicheskaya Street 27, 220072, Minsk, Belarus. antimut@biobel.bas-net.by
authors.forename: Nataliya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Savina
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dalivelya
authors.forename: Tatyana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuzhir
mesh_terms: D000220:Adaptation, Biological / Q000235:genetics; D000477:Alkylating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000502:physiology; D004330:Drosophila / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D005020:Ethyl Methanesulfonate / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000502:physiology; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D000477:Alkylating Agents; D005020:Ethyl Methanesulfonate