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U.S. Department of Energy
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Mutagenic effect of radionuclides incorporated into DNA of Drosophila melanogaster. Progress report, 1978-1979

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5793645
A significant difference in the mutation frequency of sex-linked recessive lethals was observed due to the position in the DNA molecule in which tritium decay occurred. This local effect of tritium decay is interpreted as being due to the transmutation of tritium to helium-3 at specific sites of tritium incorporation in DNA. The most mutagenic positions of disintegration appear to be the 8 of guanine (adenine) and the 6 of cytosine (thymine), i.e., those beta to the glycosidic bond. No significant increase in temperature sensitive sex-linked recessive lethals was found for tritium decay at the 5-position of cytosine over tritium decay at the other positions tested. Therefore, to determine the mechanism of mutation induction for the different sites of tritium decay, it will be necessary to study mutations induced at a specific locus with an identifiable protein.
Research Organization:
Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge (USA). Dept. of Zoology and Physiology
OSTI ID:
5793645
Report Number(s):
ORO-3728-12
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English