title: A yeast-based cytotoxicity and genotoxicity assay for environmental monitoring using novel portable instrumentation.
abstract: An assay capable of simultaneously measuring both general toxicity and more subtle genotoxicity, in aqueous environmental samples, is described. The assay uses eukaryotic (yeast) cells, genetically modified to express a green fluorescent protein (GFP) whenever DNA damage, as a result of exposure to genotoxic agents, is repaired. A measure of the reduction in cell proliferation is used to characterise general toxicity producing familiar EC(50) and LOEC data. The assay protocol has been developed for proposed use in the field and hence employs dedicated, portable instrumentation, the development of which is described. A range of environmentally relevant substances has been evaluated using the assay, including solutions of metal ions, solvents and pesticides. Preliminary data comparing the yeast assay's response to that of a standard Daphnia test in the analysis of the toxicity of 34 varied industrial waste effluents are also presented. The sensitivity to a wide range of substances and effluents suggests the assay should be useful for environmental toxicity monitoring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Instrumentation and Analytical Science, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, PO Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.forename: Patrick O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Keenan
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Goddard
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Fielden
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Walmsley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D004249:DNA Damage; D003621:Daphnia; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests / Q000379:methods; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015003:Yeasts / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants