Systems and results of tests for chemical induction of mitotic malsegregation and aneuploidy in Aspergillus nidulans

Seasons of change: Mechanisms of genome evolution in human fungal pathogens

Fungi are a diverse kingdom of organisms capable of thriving in various niches across the world including those in close association with multicellular eukaryotes. Fungal pathogens that contribute to human disease reside both within the host as commensal organisms of the microbiota and the environment. Their niche of origin dictates how infection initiates but also places specific selective pressures on the fungal pathogen that contributes to its genome organization and genetic repertoire. Recent efforts to catalogue genomic variation among major human fungal pathogens have unveiled evolutionary themes that shape the fungal genome. Mechanisms ranging from large scale changes such as aneuploidy and ploidy cycling as well as more targeted mutations like base substitutions and gene copy number variations contribute to the evolution of these species, which are often under multiple competing selective pressures with their host, environment, and other microbes. Here, we provide an overview of the major selective pressures and mechanisms acting to evolve the genome of clinically important fungal pathogens of humans.

CHPA, a cysteine- and histidine-rich-domain-containing protein, contributes to maintenance of the diploid state in Aspergillus nidulans

The alternation of eukaryotic life cycles between haploid and diploid phases is crucial for maintaining genetic diversity. In some organisms, the growth and development of haploid and diploid phases are nearly identical, and one might suppose that all genes required for one phase are likely to be critical for the other phase. Here, we show that targeted disruption of the chpA (cysteine- and histidine-rich-domain- [CHORD]-containing protein A) gene in haploid Aspergillus nidulans strains gives rise to chpA knockout haploids and heterozygous diploids but no chpA knockout diploids. A. nidulans chpA heterozygous diploids showed impaired conidiophore development and reduced conidiation. Deletion of chpA from diploid A. nidulans resulted in genome instability and reversion to a haploid state. Thus, our data suggest a vital role for chpA in maintenance of the diploid phase in A. nidulans. Furthermore, the human chpA homolog, Chp-1, was able to complement haploinsufficiency in A. nidulans chpA heterozygotes, suggesting that the function of CHORD-containing proteins is highly conserved in eukaryotes.

Structural and mechanistic bases for the induction of mitotic chromosomal loss and duplication ('malsegregation') in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae: relevance to human carcinogenesis and developmental toxicology

MultiCASE has the ability to automatically determine the structural features responsible for the biological activity of chemicals. In the present study, 93 chemicals tested for their ability to induce chromosomal 'malsegregation' in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were analyzed. This 'malsegregation' mimics molecular events that occur during human development and carcinogenesis resulting in an effective loss of one chromosome of an autosomal pair and duplication of the homologue. Structural features associated with the ability to induce such chromosome loss and duplication were identified and compared with those obtained from examination of other toxicological data bases. The most significant structural similarities were identified between the induction of chromosomal malsegregation and several toxicological phenomena such as cellular toxicity, induction of sister chromatid exchanges in vitro and rodent developmental toxicity. Very significant structural similarities were also found with systemic toxicity, induction of micronuclei in vivo and human developmental toxicity. Less significant structural overlaps were found between yeast malsegregation and rodent carcinogenicity, DNA reactivity and mutagenicity, and the induction of chromosome aberrations in vitro and sister chromatid exchanges in vivo. These overlaps may indicate mechanistic similarities between the induction of chromosomal malsegregation and other toxicological phenomena. The predictivity of the SAR model derived from the present data base is relatively low, however. This may be merely a reflection of the small size and composition of the data base, however, further analyses suggest that it reflects primarily the multiple mechanisms responsible for the induction of chromosomal malsegregation in yeast and the complexity of the phenomenon.

Screening of medicinal plants for induction of somatic segregation activity in Aspergillus nidulans

Knowledge about mutagenic properties of plants commonly used in traditional medicine is limited. A screening for genotoxic activity was carried out in aqueous or alcoholic extracts prepared from 13 medicinal plants widely used as folk medicine in Cuba: Lepidium virginicum L. (Brassicaceae): Plantago major L. and Plantago lanceolata L. (Plantaginaceae); Ortosiphon aristatus Blume, Mentha x piperita L., Melissa officinalis L. and Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng. (Lamiaceae); Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf (Poaceae); Passiflora incarnata L. (Passifloraceae); Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae); Piper auritum HBK. (Piperaceae); Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi (Anacardeaceae) and Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae). A plate incorporation assay with Aspergillus nidulans was employed, allowing detection of somatic segregation as a result of mitotic crossing-over, chromosome malsegregation or clastogenic effects. Aspergillus nidulans D-30, a well-marked strain carrying four recessive mutations for conidial color in heterozygosity, which permitted the direct visual detection of segregants, was used throughout this study. As a result, only in the aqueous extract of one of the plants screened (Momordica charantia) a statistical significant increase in the frequency of segregant sectors per colony was observed, and consequently, a genotoxic effect is postulated.

Genotoxicity assay of chloral hydrate and chloropicrine

The chlorination by-products chloral hydrate and chloropicrine were assayed for genotoxicity in three short-term tests. Chloropicrine was 100-fold more potent than chloral in inducing mutations in strain TA100 of S. typhimurium (fluctuation test) and, at variance with chloral, was positive in the SOS chromotest using strain PQ37 of E. coli. On the other hand, only chloral caused a significant increase in the frequency of micronucleated erythrocytes following in vivo exposure of the amphibian Pleurodeles waltl newt larvae.

Genotoxic activity of mebendazole in Aspergillus nidulans

Mebendazole is an anthelmintic drug widely used in Cuba and in Mexico. Its interaction with tubulin interferes with the assemblage of the mitotic apparatus in the parasite cells, thus suggesting a possible genotoxic activity leading to chromosomal malsegregation. The heterozygous diploid strain D30 of Aspergillus nidulans was used to establish the ability of mebendazole to induce mitotic recombination and/or chromosomal non-disjunction, and the haploid strain FGSC #219 of A. nidulans was used to study the ability of mebendazole to induce point mutations in the methG suppressor system. Our results show that mebendazole can induce chromosomal non-disjunction but it fails to promote point mutations.

The detection and assessment of the aneugenic potential of environmental chemicals: the European Community Aneuploidy Project

Within the framework of its' Environment Research and Development Programme, the European Communities (EC) Directorate General (DG) XII has supported a research project aimed at developing and validating assay systems for the detection and evaluation of chemicals capable of inducing numerical chromosome changes such as aneuploidy and polyploidy. A range of test chemicals were selected, which include a core set comprising; colchicine, econazole nitrate, chloral hydrate, hydroquinone, diazepam, thiabendazole, cadmium chloride, thimerosol, pyrimethamine and vinblastine sulphate. These test chemicals were used to evaluate the ability of test systems ranging from tubulin polymerisation, fungal cultures, cultured mammalian cells and intact rodents to detect chemical aneugens and to assess the significance of such activity to exposed human populations.

Tests for recombinagens in fungi

Three types of mitotic recombination can be studied in Aspergillus nidulans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae: (1) The classical type of reciprocal mitotic crossing-over which can be detected when it occurs between non-sister chromatids at the four-strand stage followed by co-segregation of a crossing-over and a non-crossing-over chromatid in the subsequent mitotic division. Consequently, mitotic crossing-over reflects cellular responses to primary genetic damage in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. (2) Mitotic gene conversion is a unidirectional event of a localized transfer of genetic information between non-sister chromatids which in yeast can extend to segments of up to 18 cM and even beyond 22 cM in Aspergillus nidulans. Mitotic gene conversion can also occur between unreplicated chromatids and lead to the expression of the newly created genotype without any need for a subsequent mitotic cell division. It reflects a cellular response in G1. (3) Mitotic sister-strand gene conversion can be studied in a recently constructed strain with the same technical ease as classical non-sister chromatid gene conversion. It can be induced by chemicals which do not induce mutation in the Salmonella system and non-sister chromatid gene conversion. Mitotic segregation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae results almost exclusively from crossing-over and gene conversion whereas mitotic chromosomal malsegregation contributes only very little. In contrast to this, in Aspergillus nidulans, both processes contribute considerably so that mitotic segregants always have to be tested for their mechanistic origin.

Formaldehyde, glyoxal, urethane, methyl carbamate, 2,3-butanedione, 2,3-hexanedione, ethyl acrylate, dibromoacetonitrile and 2-hydroxypropionitrile induce chromosome loss in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Induction of mitotic chromosome loss could be demonstrated for the dialdehyde glyoxal, the diketones 2,3-butanedione and 2,3-hexanedione, ethyl and methyl carbamate, ethyl acrylate, dibromoacetonitrile, 2-hydroxypropionitrile and formaldehyde, but only when they were combined with subacute concentrations of propionitrile, which is a strong inducer of chromosomal malsegregation. The same chemicals did not induce mitotic chromosome loss when applied in pure form. However, glyoxal, ethyl acrylate, dibromoacetonitrile and formaldehyde when applied in pure form also induced mitotic recombination. Respiratory deficiency was induced, in the absence of propionitrile, by these recombinogenic agents and also by 2,3-hexanedione and 2-hydroxypropionitrile which are not recombinogenic.

Nondisjunction induced by ethanol in Drosophila melanogaster females

The effect of ethanol on chromosomal segregation was investigated in Drosophila melanogaster females homozygous for a structurally normal X chromosome marked with the recessive mutation yellow (y/y). For chronic treatments the females were kept from eclosion in food supplemented with 10% or 15% (v/v) ethanol, mated 24 or 48 h later to wild-type males and brooded in freshly prepared ethanol food. For the acute treatments 24- or 48-h-old females were exposed for 60 min to a 75% (v/v) ethanol solution by means of soaked tissue paper placed at the bottom of regular culture vials and brooded daily after mating. The results obtained show that: (1) both treatments significantly increased the frequency of X-chromosome nondisjunction; (2) after acute treatment this effect declined in later broods; (3) the yield of malformed flies in the progeny of acutely treated females was significantly higher than control values and also declined in later broods; (4) ovary analysis showed that chronic ethanol treatments caused a cessation of egg production. The induction pattern of nondisjunction and malformed flies is interpreted as giving support to the assumption that these effects may result from a direct action of ethanol. Ethanol toxicity was assessed by exposing females of different ages to a 50% or a 75% (v/v) solution for 60 min and counting the surviving flies 24 h later. The surviving fraction decreased steeply from 1-day-old (100%) to 5-day-old females (1.8%). It is suggested that toxicity may have been due to the action of a metabolite of ethanol, probably acetaldehyde.

The induction of mitotic chromosome malsegregation in Aspergillus nidulans. Quantitative structure activity relationship (OSAR) analysis with chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons

The biological activity of 24 chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons has been studied in the mold Aspergillus nidulans. The ability to induce chromosome malsegregation, lethality and mitotic growth arrest has been experimentally determined for each chemical. These data, together with those of 11 related compounds previously investigated, generated a data base which was used for quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis. To this aim, both physico-chemical descriptors and electronic parameters of each compound have been calculated and included in the analysis. The QSAR analysis indicated that toxic effects induced by chlorinated aliphatics in A. nidulans are mainly dependent on steric factors, as indicated by the correlation with molar refractivity (MR). Conversely, the ease with which they accept electrons, parametrized by LUMO (energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital), plays a prevailing role in determining the aneuploidizing properties. An involvement of free radicals, generated by the reductive metabolism of haloalkanes, is hypothesized as an explanation of the data.

Discrimination of aneuploidogens from clastogens by C-banding, DNA and area measurements of micronuclei from mouse bone marrow

Micronuclei (MN) obtained from mouse bone marrow cells, in vivo exposed to 3 typical clastogens (procarbazine, azathioprine, ethyl methanesulfonate) and 3 typical aneuploidogens (vinblastine, tubulazole, colchicine), were examined for C-band, area and DNA content. C-banding allows a clear discrimination between clastogens and aneuploidogens: the clastogens do not exceed 50% C-band-positive MN and the aneuploidogens all 3 produce 65-75% C-band-positive MN. Concerning the DNA content the percentages of MN containing more DNA than an average chromosome (chr) are lower than 12% for the clastogens and 38-60% for the aneuploidogens. As far as the area of the MN is concerned the percentages of MN which have a larger area than chr are lower than 23% for the clastogens and range from 47% to 71% for the aneuploidogens. Additionally 3 other mutagens were studied. Hydroquinone induces 43% C-band-positive MN with DNA content far below the content of chr; considering the area measurements, however, hydroquinone behaves as an aneuploidogen (65% of the MN are larger than chr). Mitomycin C lies between the clastogens and the aneuploidogens for all 3 criteria but 5-azacytidine is comparable to the model aneuploidogens.

Detection of induced mitotic chromosome loss in Saccharomyces cerevisiae--an interlaboratory assessment of 12 chemicals

Induced mitotic chromosome loss was assayed using diploid yeast strain S. cerevisiae D61.M. The test relies upon the uncovering and expression of multiple recessive markers reflecting the presumptive loss of the chromosome VII homologue carrying the corresponding wild-type alleles. An interlaboratory study was performed in which 12 chemicals were tested under code in 2 laboratories. The results generated by the Berkeley and the Darmstadt laboratories were in close agreement. The solvents benzonitrile and methyl ethyl ketone induced significantly elevated chromosome loss levels. However, a treatment regime that included overnight storage at 0 degree C was required to optimize chromosome loss induction. Hence, these agents are postulated to induce chromosome loss via perturbation of microtubular assembly. Fumaronitrile yielded inconsistent results: induction of chromosome loss and respiratory deficiency was observed in both laboratories, but the response was much more pronounced in the Darmstadt trial than that observed in Berkeley. The mammalian carcinogens, benzene, acrylonitrile, trichloroethylene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane and 1,1,1,2-tetrachloroethane failed to induce chromosome loss but elicited high levels of respiratory deficiency, reflecting anti-mitochondrial activity. Trifluralin, cyclophosphamide monohydrate, diazepam and diethylstilbestrol dipropionate failed to induce any detectable genetic effects. These data suggest that the D61.M system is a reproducible method for detecting induced chromosome loss in yeast.

Botran and bleomycin induce crossing-over, and bleomycin also increases aneuploidy in diploid strains of Aspergillus

Both bleomycin, an antineoplastic drug, and botran (2,6-dichloro-4-nitro-aniline), a fungicide, are known to inhibit growth and induce genetic segregation in diploid tester strains of Aspergillus nidulans when present in agar media. To identify primary effects, samples of induced apparent crossover types were analysed in detail. For both compounds, coincident and consecutive events of mitotic crossing-over were found to be very frequent and such events showed a random distribution among isolated colour sectors. In the case of botran, a thorough search for imbalanced precursor types was negative and recessive lethals were found only rarely. Such segregants are therefore unlikely the result of terminal deletions. For bleomycin, induction of reciprocal crossing-over was confirmed by treatments of germinating conidia. On plating to normal growth medium, crossover segregants showed up as coloured half- or quarter-colonies, including some "twin spots". Whole coloured colonies were also frequent and these increased with dose levels which caused decreasing survival and increasing frequencies of abnormal colonies. Analysis of large fractions of such "abnormals" identified aneuploids in all cases. While botran, in plate tests, also increased haploid segregants and disomic precursors could be found, tests of germinating conidia "in liquid" were inconclusive, because botran is insoluble in water. Some increases of aneuploids were observed, but only when botran and the solvent DMSO both were present at increased levels.

Genotoxic effects of niclosamide in Aspergillus nidulans

A 2-5-month treatment with niclosamide, a widely used drug in developing countries, has been reported to induce lymphosarcomas in toad liver and kidney. The genotoxic effects of this drug have also been evaluated in Salmonella typhimurium, in somatic and germinal cells of mice and in human lymphocytes exposed in vitro and in vivo. The present study shows that niclosamide is also capable of inducing mitotic crossing-over and non-disjunction in Aspergillus nidulans, which points to the wide potential of this drug as a genotoxic agent.

Induction of meiotic chromosomal malsegregation in yeast

A system to detect chromosome number abnormalities occurring during meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is described. It is based on selection of spores carrying 2 multi-marked chromosomes V. Each step of the technical procedure is critically analyzed and the origin of some biases discussed. Selection and subsequent genetic analysis allow the estimation of the frequency of spontaneous and induced diploid and aneuploid n + 1 (diplo-V) spores. Data are reported concerning the effect of 53 chemical compounds. The great majority of active chemicals induce diploid clones while a minority cause non-disjunction of chromosome V.

A genetic assay for aneuploidy: quantitation of chromosome loss using a mouse/human monochromosomal hybrid cell line

A genetic assay is described in which a mouse/human hybrid cell line R3-5 containing a single human chromosome (a monochromosomal hybrid) is used to detect chemically induced aneuploidy. In this assay the frequency of chromosome loss determined by the cloning efficiency of the cells in a selection medium is used as an index for the potential of a chemical to induce aneuploidy. The hybrid cells are deficient in hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) and contain human chromosome 2, marked with Ecogpt, an E. coli gene for xanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase. These cells with a genotype of hgprt-/Ecogpt+ can grow in medium containing mycophenolic acid and xanthine (MX medium) but not in medium containing 6-thioguanine (6-TG). The loss of the human chromosome from R3-5 cells as a result of chemical treatment produces cells with a genotype of hgprt-/Ecogpt- which are capable of growth in the medium containing 6-TG. Thus, the cloning efficiency of cells treated with a test chemical in 6-TG provides a method to determine the frequency of cells that have lost the human chromosome. Two chemicals, colcemid and nocodazole, previously known to induce aneuploidy in mammalian cells were used for a preliminary evaluation of this test system. Both of these compounds at concentrations ranging from 0.002 to 0.032 micrograms/ml showed a concentration-related positive response in this assay.

Aprotic polar solvents that affect porcine brain tubulin aggregation in vitro induce aneuploidy in yeast cells growing at low temperatures

Seven aprotic polar solvents which had previously been shown to interfere with the aggregation in vitro of porcine brain tubulin have been examined for their ability to induce mitotic aneuploidy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae in relation to temperature during exposure. Induction of aneuploidy was in general considerably enhanced when incubation at 28 degrees C was interrupted by overnight storage at low temperature (cold shock). The optimum cold-shock temperatures for individual chemicals varied over a range of 0-16 degrees C. While storage at reduced temperature enhanced the effect of treatment at 28 degrees C, it was also shown that continuous incubation at reduced temperature could greatly enhance the induction of aneuploidy. Only 2 chemicals, 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone and gamma-valerolactone, required cold shock to yield a positive response. The other chemicals did not require cold shock for enhanced induction. The observation that the agents examined also interfere with in vitro tubulin aggregation suggests that there is a temperature component to the interaction of these agents with tubulin in vivo. This temperature component is unusual in that the most effective temperature range for aneuploidy induction can be well below the optimal growth temperature for the test organism.

Induction of chromosome malsegregation by halogenated organic solvents in Aspergillus nidulans: unspecific or specific mechanism?

Three chloromethanes (dichloromethane, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride) and 8 chlorinated ethanes (1,1- and 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1,1- and 1,1,2-trichloroethane, 1,1,1,2- and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, pentachloroethane and hexachloroethane) were assayed in tests for the induction of mitotic segregation in Aspergillus nidulans diploid strain P1. Eight of the 11 compounds assayed (dichloromethane, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, 1,1- and 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, 1,1,1,2- and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane) significantly increased the frequency of morphologically abnormal colonies which produced euploid whole-chromosome segregants (haploids and non-disjunctional diploids). Only in one case (1,1,1,2-tetrachloroethane) was a borderline increase in crossing-over frequency observed, thus suggesting the involvement of non-DNA targets in aneuploidy induction by these chlorinated hydrocarbons. Conclusive evidence for the induction of aneuploidy as the primary genetic event was provided by experiments in haploid strain 35 with 1,2-dichloroethane and 1,1,1,2-tetrachloroethane. Mutagenic, lethal and growth-arresting activities were quantitatively estimated and compared to a series of descriptors of physical and chemical properties of the molecules by means of multivariate statistical analysis. Lipophilicity, known to be related to c-mitotic activity, did not show any significant relationship with aneuploidizing activity, whereas a possible correlation among physico-chemical descriptors and toxic properties of test chemicals was highlighted.

MMS-induced primary aneuploidy and other genotoxic effects in mitotic cells of Aspergillus

The possibility of more than 1 target for genotoxic effects of methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) was investigated, using mitotic test systems of the fungus Aspergillus. Haploid and diploid strains were exposed, either as dormant conidia or during mitosis, and analysed for induced aneuploidy and effects on genetic segregation. MMS treatment of haploid strains resulted in dose-dependent increases of stable mutants with altered phenotypes and semi-stable unbalanced aberrations (presumably duplications). In addition, but only in dividing cells, MMS induced unstable aneuploids. These mostly were hyperhaploid with few extra chromosomes and could be identified by comparison with standard disomic phenotypes. When well-marked diploids were treated 3 types of effect could be distinguished, using genetic and phenotypic criteria: (1) Clastogenic and mutagenic effects which caused dose-dependent increases of partial aneuploids with various abnormal phenotypes. These showed secondary genetic segregation of all types and produced euploid normal sectors by eliminating damaged chromosome segments. In addition, but only in dividing nuclei, MMS induced 2 types of segregation: (2) Reciprocal crossing-over at high frequency, recognisable as half or quarter colonies of mutant colour and in some cases as 'twin spots' (i.e., complementary pairs); (3) Trisomics and other aneuploids which showed characteristic phenotypes and expected segregation of markers: the types recovered indicate random malsegregation of chromosomes (occasional deviations resulted from coincidence with induced crossing-over). These results suggest that MMS may have 2 (or more) targets for genotoxic effects: DNA, as evident from induced mutations and aberrations, and from induced recombination in dividing cells; some non-DNA target (nucleotide or protein) essential for nuclear division and susceptible to alkylation, resulting in malsegregation and primary aneuploidy.

On the mutagenic and recombinogenic activity of certain herbicides in Salmonella typhimurium and in Aspergillus nidulans

The plant growth-regulating hormones indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), both strong recombinogens in Aspergillus nidulans, were tested in Salmonella typhimurium strains for his revertants at a range of concentrations from 1 to 2000 micrograms/plate with and without metabolic activation and were found negative. Also 3 herbicides of the chlorophenoxy group, 2,4-(dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D), 2,4-(dichlorophenoxy)butyric acid (2,4-DB) and 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), which show a plant growth hormone-like activity, and 2 of the triazine group, 2-ethylamino-4-chloro-6-isopropylamino-1,3,5-triazine (atrazine) and 2,4-bis(isopropylamino)6-chloro-1,3,5-triazine (propazine) were tested in S. typhimurium for point mutations and in A. nidulans for mitotic recombination. 2,4-D and MCPA were found to be weakly mutagenic at concentrations between 250 and 750 micrograms/plate in strain TA97a and only after metabolic activation and were recombinogens by inducing mainly mitotic crossing-over in A. nidulans at concentrations of 4-48 microM and 1500-3000 microM, respectively. 2,4-DB, atrazine and propazine were negative in both the Ames and the Aspergillus tests.

Comparisons of tests for aneuploidy

The fundamental problems that face us in the development of suitable assay systems for the detection of potentially aneugenic (aneuploidy-inducing) chemicals include: (a) the diversity of cellular targets and mechanisms where perturbations of structure and function may give rise to changes in chromosome number, and (b) the phylogenetic differences that exist between species in their mechanism and kinetics of cell division and their metabolic profiles. A diverse range of assay systems have been developed, which have been shown to have potential for use in the detection of either changes in chromosome number or of perturbations of the events which may be causal in the induction of aneuploidy. Chromosome number changes may be detected cytologically by karyotypic analysis, or by the use of specialised strains in which aneuploid progeny may be observed due to phenotypic differences with aneuploid parental cells or whole organisms. Techniques for the detection of cellular target modifications range from in vitro studies of tubulin polymerisation to observations of the behaviour of various cellular organelles and their fidelity of action during the division cycle. The diversity of mechanisms which may give rise to aneuploidy and the qualitative relevance of events observed in experimental organisms compared to man make it unlikely that the detection and risk assessment of the aneugenic activity of chemicals will be possible using a single assay system. Optimal screening and assessment procedures will thus be dependent upon the selection of an appropriate battery of predictive tests for the measurement of the potentially damaging effects of aneuploidy induction.

A comparative study on selected chemical carcinogens for chromosome malsegregation, mitotic crossing-over and forward mutation induction in Aspergillus nidulans

10 "false negative" chemical carcinogens, i.e. ineffective in bacterial mutagenicity assays, were thoroughly investigated for their genotoxic activity in the mould Aspergillus nidulans. Forward mutations (methionine suppressors), mitotic crossing-over and chromosome malsegregation were the end-points scored. Positive results were obtained in tests for the induction of mitotic segregation with benzene, ethylenethiourea and urethane, which increased the frequency of abnormal presumptive aneuploid colonies with euploid sectors showing whole chromosome segregation (i.e. non-disjunctional diploids and haploids). The same compounds were ineffective in increasing the frequency of mitotic crossing-over or forward mutations. The other chemical carcinogens investigated, namely acetamide, amitrole, dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide, nitrilotriacetic acid, p,p'-DDT and thiourea were ineffective both as inducers of forward mutations and mitotic segregation.

Genetic and anti-tubulin effects induced by pyridine derivatives

A series of pyridine derivatives, 2-methyl-, 2-chloro-, 2-acetyl-, 3-acetyl-, 4-acetyl, 2-phenyl-, 2,4-dimethyl-, 2,6-dimethyl- and 2-methyl-5-ethyl-pyridine, were shown to induce mitotic aneuploidy in strain D61.M of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Induction of mitotic recombination was also observed with 3- and 4-acetylpyridine and 2-phenylpyridine in strain D61.M. 4-Acetylpyridine and 2-phenylpyridine were found to induce mitotic gene conversion and 2-phenyl-pyridine also induced reverse mutation in strain D7 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These two agents also inhibited the GTP-mediated assembly of porcine brain tubulin in vitro.

Tests which distinguish induced crossing-over and aneuploidy from secondary segregation in Aspergillus treated with chloral hydrate or gamma-rays

A system of tests with the ascomycete Aspergillus nidulans was devised that can detect 3 primary effects of genotoxic agents: (1) increases in mitotic crossing-over; (2) induced aneuploidy; and (3) clastogenic effects which cause chromosomal imbalance. Conidia of a new diploid tester strain, heterozygous for 4 recessive markers which alter conidial color, are treated and plated onto nonselective media. In cases of induced crossing-over, large color segments are found in normal green colonies, frequently adjacent to reciprocal twin segments. In contrast, both malsegregation and chromosome breakage produce unbalanced types which grow poorly and segregate further. Cases with yellow segregants are replated and their secondary diploid sectors tested for markers which are located on both chromosome arms in coupling with yA. Induced aneuploidy can be distinguished from chromosome breakage by the pattern of marker segregation. Any aneuploid type will produce euploid sectors solely by segregation of whole chromosomes; trisomic colonies (yA / yA / +) will show 1:2 ratios for yellow (homozygous yA) to parental green (yA/+) sectors and have characteristic phenotypes. Other induced unbalanced types, if heterozygous for deletions or aberrations may produce yellow diploid sectors by secondary crossing-over as well as by nondisjunction and such cases show unique patterns of genetic segregation and non- predictable phenotypes. As a complementary test, haploid strains are treated and induced abnormally growing types are replated and classified by phenotype. Aneuploids are unstable and produce many normal sectors, and some of these disomic or trisomic types can be visually identified.In contrast, induced deletions are lethal, and duplications or 'morphological' mutants show much more stable abnormal phenotypes. This test system was used to characterize the primary effects of gamma-rays and chloral hydrate. Results and evidence were as follows: (1) A dose-dependent increase of color segments resulting from reciprocal crossing-over was found after treatment of dividing nuclei in germinating diploid conidia with gamma-rays, but not with chloral hydrate. (2) Highly aneuploid and polyploid types were induced in diploid and haploid germinating conidia by chloral hydrate but not to any significant extent by gamma-rays. (3) gamma-Rays caused a dose- dependent increase off abnormally growing colonies when dormant or germinating diploid conidia were treated. These colonies produced secondary euploid sectors by spontaneous nondisjunction and frequently also by crossing-over, which provided evidence for induced semidominant and recessive lethal mutations of many types.

Chemically induced aneuploidy in mammalian cells: mechanisms and biological significance in cancer

A growing body of evidence from human and animal cancer cytogenetics indicates that aneuploidy is an important chromosome change in carcinogenesis. Aneuploidy may be associated with a primary event of carcinogenesis in some cancers and a later change in other tumors. Evidence from in vitro cell transformation studies supports the idea that aneuploidy has a direct effect on the conversion of a normal cell to a preneoplastic or malignant cell. Induction of an aneuploid state in a preneoplastic or neoplastic cell could have any of the following four biological effects: a change in gene dosage, a change in gene balance, expression of a recessive mutation, or a change in genetic instability (which could secondarily lead to neoplasia). To understand the role of aneuploidy in carcinogenesis, cellular and molecular studies coupled with the cytogenetic studies will be required. There are a number of possible mechanisms by which chemicals might induce aneuploidy, including effects on microtubules, damage to essential elements for chromosome function (ie, centromeres, origins of replication, and telomeres), reduction in chromosome condensation or pairing, induction of chromosome interchanges, unresolved recombination structures, increased chromosome stickiness, damage to centrioles, impairment of chromosome alignment, ionic alterations during mitosis, damage to the nuclear membrane, and a physical disruption of chromosome segregation. Therefore, a number of different targets exist for chemically induced aneuploidy. Because the ability of certain chemicals to induce aneuploidy differs between mammalian cells and lower eukaryotic cells, it is important to study the mechanisms of aneuploidy induction in mammalian cells and to use mammalian cells in assays for potential aneuploidogens (chemicals that induce aneuploidy). Despite the wide use of mammalian cells for studying chemically induced mutagenesis and chromosome breakage, aneuploidy studies with mammalian cells are limited. The lack of a genetic assay with mammalian cells for aneuploidy is a serious limitation in these studies.