Mechanisms of mutagenesis: Analysis through the use of alcohol dehydrogenase in Drosophila: Final report

Technical Report · Mon Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:7187205

Sofer, W H

Our original objective was to understand the mechanism of mutagenesis of several important mutagens in higher organisms. Our approach was to try to deduce this mechanism by working backwards from its final effects. The strategy that we used in an effort to carry out our studies was to make mutations in the alcohol dehydrogenase gene of Drosophila melanogaster and sequence the modified genes. Most of our work was focused on an array of mutants that we had induced with formaldehyde, a potent mutagen in Drosophila, and with ethyl methane sulfonate. Over the course of the project period we cloned and sequenced the ADH gene from four formalde-induced mutants and from one EMS mutant. We showed that the four formaldehyde-induced mutants contained small deletions within the protein-coding region of their ADH genes ranging in size from between 6 and 34 bp. The one EMS-induced mutant was shown by DNA sequencing to bear an AT to GC sequence change at a tryptophan codon near the c-terminal coding portion of the gene. These results have significantly increased our understanding of the mechanism(s) of mutagenesis in higher organisms. 20 refs., 1 fig.

• Research Organization: Rutgers--the State Univ., Piscataway, NJ (USA). Waksman Inst. of Microbiology
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-81EV10566
• OSTI ID: 7187205
• Report Number(s): DOE/EV/10566-7; ON: DE87003871
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550200 -- Biochemistry
560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ALDEHYDES
ANIMALS
ARTHROPODS
DIPTERA
DNA SEQUENCING
DROSOPHILA
EMS
ENZYMES
ESTERS
FLIES
FORMALDEHYDE
FRUIT FLIES
GENE MUTATIONS
INSECTS
INVERTEBRATES
MUTAGENESIS
MUTAGENS
MUTATIONS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
OXIDOREDUCTASES
STRUCTURAL CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
SULFONIC ACID ESTERS