Application of comet assay for the assessment of DNA damage caused by chemical genotoxins in the dairy yeast Kluyveromyces lactis.
Kluyveromyces lactis, also known as dairy yeast, has numerous applications in scientific research and practice. It has been approved as a GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) organism, a probiotic, a biotechnological producer of important enzymes at industrial scale and a bioremediator of waste water from the dairy industry. Despite these important practical applications the sensitivity of this organism to genotoxic substances has not yet been assessed. In order to evaluate the response of K. lactis cells to genotoxic agents we have applied several compounds with well-known cyto- and genotoxic activity. The method of comet assay (CA) widely used for the assessment of DNA damages is presented here with new special modifications appropriate for K. lactis cells. The comparison of the response of K. lactis to genotoxins with that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed that both yeasts, although considered close relatives, exhibit species-specific sensitivity toward the genotoxins examined.
Laboratory of Yeast Molecular Genetics, Institute of Molecular Biology Roumen Tsanev, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev str., 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Dessislava
D
Staneva
Ekaterina
E
Peycheva
Milena
M
Georgieva
Toni
T
Efremov
George
G
Miloshev
D020552:Comet Assay; D004249:DNA Damage; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects*; D007716:Kluyveromyces / Q000187:drug effects*; D009153:Mutagens / Q000633:toxicity*
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D009153:Mutagens