Sequence analysis of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced vermilion mutations in Drosophila melanogaster

Journal Article · Fri Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Genetics; (USA)

OSTI ID:6936612

Pastink, A; Vreeken, C ^[1]; Nivard, M J.M.; Vogel, E W ^[2]; Searles, L L ^[3]

---

1. State Univ. of Leiden (Netherlands) J.A. Cohen Institute (Netherlands)
2. State Univ. of Leiden (Netherlands)
3. Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (USA)

The mutational specificity of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) was determined in Drosophila melanogaster using the vermilion locus as a target gene. 25 mutants (16 F{sub 1} and 9 F{sub 2} mutants) were cloned and sequenced. Only base-pair changes were observed; three of the mutants represented double base substitutions. Transition mutations were the most prominent sequence change: 61% were GC {yields} AT and 18% AT {yields} GC substitutions. Both sequence changes can be explained by the miscoding properties of the modified guanine and thymine bases. A strong bias of neighboring bases on the occurrence of the GC {yields} AT transitions or a strand preference of both types of transition mutations was not observed. The spectrum of ENU mutations in D. melanogaster includes a significant fraction (21%) of transversion mutations. The data indicate that like in other prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems also in D. melanogaster the O{sup 6}-ethylguanine adduct is the most prominent premutational lesion after ENU treatment. The strong contribution of the O{sup 6}-ethylguanine adduct to the mutagenicity of ENU possibly explains the absence of distinct differences between the type of mutations observed in the F{sub 1} and F{sub 2} mutants.

• OSTI ID: 6936612
• Journal Information: Genetics; (USA), Journal Name: Genetics; (USA) Vol. 123:1; ISSN 0016-6731; ISSN GENTA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ADDUCTS
AMINES
ANIMALS
AROMATICS
ARTHROPODS
AZAARENES
AZINES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
DIPTERA
DNA ADDUCTS
DNA BASE TRANSITIONS
DNA SEQUENCING
DROSOPHILA
FLIES
FRUIT FLIES
GENE MUTATIONS
GENETIC EFFECTS
GUANINE
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INSECTS
INVERTEBRATES
MUTAGENESIS
MUTATIONS
NITROSO COMPOUNDS
NITROSOUREAS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PURINES
PYRIMIDINES
STRUCTURAL CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
THYMINE
URACILS