title: Rapid detection of mutagens accumulated in plant tissues using a novel Vibrio harveyi mutagenicity assay.
abstract: Detection of mutagenic pollution in natural environment is difficult as there are thousands of known chemical mutagens, and they have mutagenic effects usually at very low concentrations. Plants are able to accumulate various substances, including mutagens, in their tissues. Here, we demonstrate that rapid detection of mutagenic activities of compounds accumulated in plant tissues is possible using a recently developed microbiological mutagenicity assay, based on induction of bioluminescence of a dim mutant of a marine bacterium Vibrio harveyi. Using this assay, it was possible to detect mutagenic activity in extracts from relatively small amounts of tissues (1.5 g) collected from plants, which were cultured in vitro for 30 days in the presence of nano-molar concentrations of various chemical mutagens. Moreover, contrary to control samples, cultured in vitro without any mutagens, significant mutagenicity was detected in several extracts of plant tissues collected from natural environment. The whole procedure was as short as 4 h or less.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sw. Wojciecha 5, 81-347 Gdynia, Poland.
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Podgórska
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Królicka
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lojkowska
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wegrzyn
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D049449:Luminescence; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests / Q000379:methods; D009153:Mutagens / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D014733:Vibrio / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D009153:Mutagens