Moderate malnutrition in rats induces somatic gene mutations

Publication date: Available online 8 March 2016 Source:Mutation Research/Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis Author(s): M. Monserrat Pacheco-Martínez, Edith Cortés-Barberena, Elsa Cervantes-Ríos, María del Carmen García-Rodríguez, Leonor Rodríguez-Cruz, Rocío Ortiz-Muñiz The relationship between malnutrition and genetic damage has been widely studied in human and animal models, leading to the observation that interactions between genotoxic exposure and micronutrient status appear to affect genomic stability. A new assay has been developed that uses the phosphatidylinositol glycan class A gene (Pig-a) as a reporter for measuring in vivo gene mutation. The Pig-a assay can be employed to evaluate mutant frequencies (MFs) in peripheral blood reticulocytes (RETs) and erythrocytes (RBCs) using flow cytometry. In the present study, we assessed the effects of malnutrition on mutagenic susceptibility by exposing undernourished (UN) and well-nourished (WN) rats to N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) and measuring Pig-a MFs. Two week-old UN and WN male Han-Wistar rats were treated daily with 0, 20, or 40mg/kg ENU for 3 consecutive days. Blood was collected from the tail vein one day before ENU treatment (Day-1) and after ENU administration on Days 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56 and 63. Pig-a MFs were measured in RETs and RBCs as the RETCD59− and RBCCD59− frequencies. In the vehicle control groups, the frequencies of mutant RETs and RBCs were significa...

Source: Mutation Research Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis - March 18, 2016 Category: Cytology Source Type: research