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A J Grosovsky

Publications and source records attributed to A J Grosovsky.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Interchromosomal gene conversion at an endogenous human cell locus.

To examine the relationship between gene conversion and reciprocal exchange at an endogenous chromosomal locus, we developed a reversion assay in a thymidine kinase deficient mutant, TX545, derived from the human lymphoblastoid cell line TK6. Selectable revertants of TX545 can be generated through interchromosomal gene conversion at the site of inactivating mutations on each tk allele or by reciprocal exchange that alters the linkage relationships of inactivating polymorphisms within the tk locus. Analysis of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at intragenic polymorphisms and flanking microsatellite markers was used to initially evaluate allelotypes in TK(+) revertants for patterns associated with either gene conversion or crossing over. The linkage pattern in a subset of convertants was then unambiguously established, even in the event of prereplicative recombinational exchanges, by haplotype analysis of flanking microsatellite loci in tk(-/-) LOH mutants collected from the tk(+/-) parental convertant. Some (7/38; 18%) revertants were attributable to easily discriminated nonrecombinational mechanisms, including suppressor mutations within the tk coding sequence. However, all revertants classified as a recombinational event (28/38; 74%) were attributed to localized gene conversion, representing a highly significant preference (P < 0.0001) over gene conversion with associated reciprocal exchange, which was never observed.

Alleles↗
PubMed2001

Multimedia analysis of PAHs and nitro-PAH daughter products in the Los Angeles Basin.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are released into the atmosphere may have health consequences that can be compounded by their nitro-PAH atmospheric transformation products. The available literature suggests that some of the atmospheric nitro-PAH daughter products may increase the overall environmental health risk associated with PAHs. Therefore, an important issue is whether there is merit in considering atmospheric transformation products of air toxins when conducting environmental health-risk analyses. To illustrate the above issue, a comparative analysis of the potential risk that may be imposed by PAHs and their daughter products was carried out for the Los Angeles Basin. The analysis consisted of first assessing the multimedia environmental concentration of selected PAHs and nitro-PAHs using a spatial-compartmental modeling approach coupled with available monitoring data. Multimedia concentrations were then used to estimate chemical media-specific mutagenic densities as well as average daily intake from multiple pathways, followed by cancer risk for the known carcinogens among the study chemicals. The analysis revealed that mutagenic densities of the nitro-PAH daughter products can significantly exceed those of the parent PAHs. The results of this study suggest that there is merit in further investigation of the potential contribution of nitro-PAHs to the overall environmental health risk associated with airborne PAHs.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2000

The genotoxicity of 3-nitrobenzanthrone and the nitropyrene lactones in human lymphoblasts.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitrated polycyclic aromatic compounds (nitro-PAC) have been found to be mutagenic in bacterial and human cells as well as carcinogenic in rodents. In this investigation, the genotoxic effects of 3-nitrobenzanthrone (3NB) and a mixture of nitropyrene lactones (NPLs) were determined using forward mutation assays performed in two human B-lymphoblastoid cell lines, MCL-5 and h1A1v2, which are responsive to the nitro-PAC class of compounds. Mutagenicity of the compounds was determined at the heterozygous tk locus and the hemizygous hprt locus, thus, identifying both large-scale loss of heterozygosity (LOH) events as well as intragenic mutagenic events. Genotoxicity was also determined using the CREST modified micronucleus assay, which detects chromosomal loss and breakage events. Results indicate 3NB is an effective human cell mutagen, significantly inducing mutations at the tk and hprt loci in both cell lines, and inducing micronuclei in the h1A1v2 cell line. The NPL isomers are also mutagenic, inducing mutations at the two loci as well as micronuclei in both cell lines. Because of their mutagenic potencies and their presence in ambient air, further assessments should be made of human exposures to these nitro-PAC and the potential health risks involved.

B-Lymphocytes↗
PubMed2000

Radiation specific patterns of loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 17q.

We and others have previously reported that the percentage of ionizing radiation-induced TK(-) mutants exhibiting loss of heterozygosity (LOH) is not significantly different from those occurring spontaneously. In order to search further for a distinguishing feature of the X-ray-induced spectrum, and to characterize mechanisms of chromosomal scale mutagenesis, we used detailed mapping information to analyze the extent of LOH along chromosome 17q. Significant differences were observed when the extent of LOH tracts was considered. The representation of very long LOH tracts (>/=41 cM) was significantly (p=0.004) more common among spontaneous mutants, while relatively local LOH events, involving only markers in a 1-10 cM region surrounding the tk locus, are significantly (p=0.018) more prevalent among X-ray-induced mutants. Our data suggests that, although large deletions are recoverable, X-ray-induced autosomal deletions are not evenly distributed over the available size range. This indicates a mechanistic rather than biological restriction to the size of radiation-induced deletions, and demonstrates that the pattern of LOH may also be useful as a distinguishing component of the mutational spectrum.

Cell Line↗
PubMed2000

Mutagenicity and loss of heterozygosity at the APRT locus in human lymphoblastoid cells exposed to 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine.

Previous experiments in our research group showed that 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT) caused increased mutant frequencies (Mfs) at the X-linked hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) and the autosomal thymidine kinase (TK) genes in human lymphoblastoid cells and that there was a significant positive correlation between AZT incorporation into cellular DNA and AZT-induced TK Mfs. In the current study, the mutagenicity of AZT was further evaluated at the autosomal adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) gene. AZH1 cells, a human lymphoblastoid cell line heterozygous at the APRT locus, were exposed to 300 microM AZT for 0, 1, 3 or 6 days or to 0, 33, 100, 300 or 900 microM AZT for 3 days (n = 5 flasks/group). A cell cloning assay was used to quantitate APRT Mfs. AZT-induced APRT Mf increased with extended duration and with incremental concentrations of AZT exposure. There was a positive correlation (P = 0.022, coefficient = 0.93) between AZT incorporation into DNA and AZT-induced APRT Mfs. RFLP analyses indicated that AZT exclusively induced loss of heterozygosity in APRT mutants. These results, which are consistent with findings on the mutagenicity of AZT at the HPRT and TK genes, indicate the need for further investigations on the potential long-term side effects of AZT on humans, especially those who receive AZT for a prophylactic reason.

Adenine Phosphoribosyltransferase↗
PubMed1999

Evidence for oxidative metabolism in the genotoxicity of the atmospheric reaction product 2-nitronaphthalene in human lymphoblastoid cell lines.

2-Nitronaphthalene (2NN) has been identified as a mutagenic atmospheric reaction product of naphthalene in the Ames bacterial reversion assay. Recent experiments have shown this nitroarene to be genotoxic in a human lymphoblastoid cell line (MCL-5) transfected with plasmids encoding epoxide hydrolase and four cytochrome P450 monooxygenase activities. The present study investigated the genotoxicity of 2NN in two related human B-lymphoblastoid cell lines, h1A1v2 containing a single P450 isozyme (cytochrome P450 1A1) and L3 cells which are isogenic with MCL-5 cells and are distinguished only by the absence of transfected plasmids. The results indicate that 2NN-induced mutagenesis at the heterozygous thymidine kinase (tk) locus was dependent on metabolic activities provided by the transfected plasmids in MCL-5; no significant induction of mutants was observed in L3 cells studied in parallel. A similar induction of mutation was observed in h1A1v2 and MCL-5 cell lines at the tk locus and no induction was observed at the hemizygous hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (hprt) locus. The induction of mutations in h1A1v2 cells suggests that cytochrome P450 1A1 alone can activate 2NN to a mutagenic species, however, this interpretation may be confounded by differences between the h1A1v2 and MCL-5 cell lines. The observed genotoxic activity induced by 2NN prompted testing of the amino analogue, beta-naphthylamine (betaNA), to investigate potential similarities in the metabolic activation pathways of the two compounds. The negative response of betaNA in all cell lines suggests that 2NN and betaNA are not activated in these human cells by similar metabolic pathways.

2-Naphthylamine↗
PubMed1999

PolyADP-ribose-mediated regulation of p53 complexed with topoisomerase I following ionizing radiation.

This investigation demonstrates that the p53 and topoisomerase I (topo I) proteins which form a molecular complex in vivo are polyADP ribosylated following 1 Gy of gamma irradiation. Immunoprecipitations using a topo I monoclonal antibody were performed on protein extracts from gamma-irradiated TK6 human lymphoblastoid cells. Western blots on topo I immunoprecipitations probed with a polyADP-ribose polymer antibody demonstrated that several proteins, including p53, are co-immunoprecipitated with topo I. Furthermore, p53 and topo I are ADP ribosylated within 15 min following gamma irradiation. Unlike the other proteins within the complex, p53 is polyADP ribosylated at low levels in non-irradiated cells, and it is also the most heavily polyADP ribosylated following irradiation. Radiation induced polyADP ribosylation persists for at least 48 h following exposure. The DNA damage response does not involve the recruitment of free p53 to complex with topo I; the amount of p53 protein complexed with topo I was found to be independent of radiation exposure. It has recently been reported that p53 acts to catalytically stimulate the activity of topo I in the absence of DNA damage. We hypothesize that the rapid modification of the complex by polyADP ribosylation following radiation is a regulatory response to diminish topo I cleavage in the presence of DNA damage.

DNA Damage↗
PubMed1999

Evaluation of the potential health effects of the atmospheric reaction products of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

The genotoxic risks from exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have long been recognized. Less well understood are the potential genotoxic risks of the atmospheric reaction products of this class of compounds. In this investigation, we have utilized several human cell assays to evaluate the genotoxicity of naphthalene, phenanthrene, and their atmospheric reaction products 1-nitronaphthalene, 2-nitronaphthalene (2NN), 1-hydroxy-2NN, 2-hydroxy-1-nitronaphthalene, 1,4-naphthoquinone, and 2-nitrodibenzopyranone (2NDBP). In addition, simulated atmospheric reaction products of naphthalene were generated in a 6,700 liter (L) Teflon environmental chamber, collected on a solid adsorbent, extracted, and fractionated by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Individual fractions were then analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and tested for genotoxic effects. Genotoxicity was primarily determined using the human B-lymphoblastoid cell line, MCL-5, which expresses several transfected P450 and epoxide hydrolase genes. Mutagenicity was evaluated at both the heterozygous thymidine kinase (tk) locus and the hemizygous hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (hprt) locus, permitting detection of both intragenic and chromosomal scale mutational events. Test compounds were also screened using the CREST modified micronucleus assay. The results indicate that 2NN and 2NDBP possess greater mutagenic potency than their parent compounds, and, interestingly, both compounds induced significant increases in mutation frequency at the tk but not the hprt locus. These findings suggest a mechanistic difference in human cell response to 2NN and 2NDBP as compared to bacteria, where both compounds were previously shown to induce point mutations in the Salmonella typhimurium reversion assay. The genotoxicity of 2NN and 2NDBP in human cells, together with their high concentrations in ambient air relative to nitro-PAHs directly emitted from combustion sources, emphasizes the need to consider atmospheric reaction products of PAHs in assessments of the genotoxicity of air pollutants. We also investigated whether transfected cytochrome P450 monooxygenase activities were required to activate 2NN and 2NDBP to genotoxic species, and whether a single enzyme could be sufficient for metabolic activation. Three directly related cell lines with multiple (MCL-5), single (AHH-1 1A1), or no (L3) transfected cytochrome P450 genes were used. AHH-1 is additionally distinguished by elevated mutagenic response at the tk locus, a heterozygous mutation in p53, and apoptosis capacity. The effect of these metabolic and genetic differences on genotoxicity of 2NN, 2NDBP, and beta-naphthylamine (beta NA) was also investigated. The results indicated that 2NN and 2NDBP were not activated to genotoxic species through nitroreduction pathways. Mutagenicity induced at the tk locus was dependent on oxidative metabolism, provided by transfected cytochrome P450 enzymes in MCL-5 and AHH-1 1A1. Mutagenicity was not observed in the L3 cell line, which does not carry transfected cytochrome P450 activities. The negative response of beta NA in all cell lines indicates that, contrary to previous hypotheses, 2NN and beta NA are not activated by similar metabolic pathways in these human cell lines. Taken as a whole, these results suggest that the genotoxicity of nitro-PAHs in human cells requires oxidative metabolism.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1998

Sequence specific mutations induced by N-nitrosodimethylamine at two marker loci in metabolically competent human lymphoblastoid cells.

N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is a potent mutagen and animal carcinogen to which many people are exposed through the consumption of contaminated food and the use of tobacco products. Although the mutational specificity of NDMA has been studied in bacteria, little is known about the specific types of mutations induced by NDMA in the human genome. Knowledge of the mutational spectrum of NDMA in human genes may help to substantiate the role of NDMA in the etiology of human cancers. In the current study, the mutational spectrum of NDMA was characterized at the tk and hprt loci, in human lymphoblastoid cells capable of metabolically activating NDMA. A number of patterns were observed among NDMA-induced mutations. At both marker loci, G:C-->A:T transitions dominated the mutational spectrum of NDMA, which were indicative of the mutagenicity of the O6meG lesion. In addition, the majority of G:C-->A:T mutations occurred at guanines 3' to another guanine. Almost all of these mutations originated on the non-transcribed strand, which suggests that transcription-coupled repair influenced the distribution of G:C-->A:T transitions at the tk and hprt loci. Furthermore, the observation of hotspots for G:C-->A:T mutations, within both loci, suggests that differential repair kinetics may exist, and consequently affect the distribution of mutations. Finally, a comparison of the site specificity of G:C-->A:T mutations at the tk and hprt loci, indicated that the gene used for mutational analysis influenced the site specificity of NDMA-induced mutations, and possibly reflects the number of 5'-GG-3' sites in the tk and hprt loci that when mutated would yield a mutant phenotype.

B-Lymphocytes↗
PubMed1998

Targeted breakage of paracentromeric heterochromatin induces chromosomal instability.

Current models suggest that genomic instability is crucial in the accumulation of the multiple alterations required for tumorigenesis. However, the nature of the initial damage responsible for the origin of genomic instability remains poorly understood. In this investigation we demonstrate that the nucleotide analog 2,6-diaminopurine (DAP) can be used to induce highly focused damage to the large blocks of paracentromeric heterochromatin on chromosomes 1, 9 and 16. A large fraction of cells exposed to DAP exhibit undercondensation of alpha and classical heterochromatin which persists into metaphase. Subsequent chromosome breakage was observed for one of the target chromosomes by preferential exclusion of chromosome 16 fragments into micronuclei (P < 0.0001). The specificity of DAP-induced chromosomal breakage enabled us to utilize it as a reagent to demonstrate that paracentromeric heterochromatin is a sensitive target for the induction of persistent genomic instability. We observed a 100-fold increase in mutagenesis affecting a chromosome 16 marker (APRT) compared with marker loci on chromosomes 17 (TK) or X (HPRT). We previously reported that APRT- mutants were recovered at a high rate upon selection in DAP in a process involving recombinationally mediated loss of heterozygosity that extends from the telomere to the boundary region of the paracentromeric heterochromatin. Karyotypic analysis of DAP-resistant APRT- mutant clones demonstrated extensive genomic instability, particularly evidence of multiple and sequential events affecting chromosome 16. These data suggest that the heterochromatic breakage observed cytogenetically immediately following DAP exposure is also responsible for the initiation of persistent genomic instability.

2-Aminopurine↗
PubMed1997

Bimolane: in vitro inhibitor of human topoisomerase II.

Bimolane is a member of the bis(2,6-dioxopiperazine) class of drugs and has been widely used in China as an anti-neoplastic agent and for the treatment of psoriasis. Recent case reports indicate that bimolane is leukemogenic and is thought to exert its effects through the inhibition of topoisomerase II. However, there are no data showing the inhibition of topoisomerase II by this agent. In this report bimolane was shown to inhibit the activity of human topoisomerase II in vitro at concentrations of 100 microM and higher when pBR322 was used as the DNA substrate, whereas inhibition was seen at 1.5 mM when using kDNA as a substrate. The results of enzyme and DNA titration assays indicate that inhibition of topoisomerase II by bimolane occurred through interactions with DNA, similar to the mechanism seen with the epipodophyllotoxin-type inhibitors. These results provide evidence that bimolane is an inhibitor of topoisomerase II in vitro.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1997

Genotoxicity induced in human lymphoblasts by atmospheric reaction products of naphthalene and phenanthrene.

The genotoxic risks from exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) have long been recognized. Less well understood are the potential genotoxic risks of the atmospheric reaction products of this class of compounds. In this investigation, we have utilized several human cell genotoxicity assays to evaluate naphthalene, phenanthrene, and their atmospheric reaction products 1-nitronaphthalene, 2-nitronaphthalene, 1-hydroxy-2-nitronaphthalene, 2-hydroxy-1-nitronaphthalene, 1,4-naphthoquinone and 2-nitrodibenzopyranone. In addition, reaction products of naphthalene were generated in a 6700-1 Teflon environmental chamber, collected on a solid adsorbent, extracted and fractionated by normal-phase HPLC. Individual fractions were then analyzed using GC-MS, and tested for genotoxicity. Genotoxicity was determined using the human B-lymphoblastoid cell line, MCL-5, which expresses several transfected P450 and epoxide hydrolase genes. Mutagenicity was evaluated at both the heterozygous tk locus and the hemizygous hprt locus, permitting detection of both intragenic and chromosomal scale mutational events. Test compounds were also screened using the CREST modified micronucleus assay. Genotoxicity results indicate that 2-nitronaphthalene and 2-nitrodibenzopyranone possess greater mutagenic potency than their parent compounds, and interestingly, both compounds induced significant increases in mutation frequency at tk but not hprt. These results suggest a mechanistic difference in human cell response as compared to bacteria, where both compounds were previously shown to induce point mutations in the Salmonella reversion assay. The genotoxicity of 2-nitronaphthalene and 2-nitrodibenzopyranone in human cells, together with their high concentrations in ambient air relative to nitro-PAH directly emitted from combustion sources, emphasizes the need to consider atmospheric reaction products of PAH in genotoxicity assessments.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1997

Isolation of an APRT heterozygote from TK6 human lymphoblasts: predominance of multi-locus loss of heterozygosity among spontaneous APRT-mutants.

The TK6 human B lymphoblastoid cell line contains two easily and widely used selectable markers: the X-linked, hemizygous hprt locus, and the heterozygous tk locus on chromosome 17q. In this study, rare APRT heterozygotes were directly isolated from the TK6 population by clonal selection in cell culture medium supplemented with 5 micrograms/ml of 8-azaadenine. One of nine isolated heterozygotes, AZH1, was characterized extensively. APRT- mutants can be recovered from AZH1 at a mutation rate of 1.5 x 10(-7), similar to rates previously determined for the selection of TK- and HPRT- mutants from TK6. A unique sequence alteration was identified in the non-functional aprt allele at position 1930. A G:C to A:T transition at this site alters the canonical AG splice acceptor dinucleotide in exon 3, and also results in the destruction of a Stul recognition sequence. This polymorphism was used to analyze loss of heterozygosity in a set of 32 spontaneous APRT- mutants by restriction analysis following PCR amplification. Analysis of flanking microsatellite dinucleotide polymorphisms demonstrated that LOH occurring in spontaneous APRT- mutants is nearly always a multi-locus event extending at least 7.5 cM along chromosome 16q. This pattern of LOH among APRT- mutants differs from extensive LOH in spontaneous, normal-growth TK- mutants derived from TK6 cells (p < 0.0001), and suggests that cis-acting factors may be equally important in shaping the mutational spectrum as trans-acting factors such as cellular apoptotic capacity.

Adenine↗
PubMed1997

The influence of cellular apoptotic capacity on N-nitrosodimethylamine-induced loss of heterozygosity mutations in human cells.

The induction of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) by the environmental carcinogen N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), and the factors that influence the recovery of LOH mutations were studied in two directly related human lymphoblastoid cell lines, AHH-1 (h2E1.v2) and MCL-5. Initially, the NDMA-induced mutation frequency at the heterozygous tk locus in AHH-1 cells was observed to be 5-fold higher in AHH-1 compared with MCL-5. Molecular analysis of NDMA-induced TK- mutants indicated that the induced mutant fraction attributable to small intragenic mutations was similar in both cell lines. However, the induced mutant fraction, because of LOH, was 18-fold greater in AHH-1. In addition, LOH mutations were more extensive among TK- mutants derived from AHH-1 cells. We hypothesized that the increased recovery of large LOH mutations in AHH-1 cells could be attributable to reduced apoptotic capacity, as it has been reported that AHH-1 cells carry a heterozygous mutation in the p53 locus, whereas MCL-5 cells are homozygous wild-type. Analysis of the kinetics of apoptosis showed that the apoptotic response of the AHH-1 cell line was diminished and delayed compared with MCL-5. Based on the analyses presented here, and several recent reports, it is suggested that the recovery of LOH mutations in p53 deficient cell lines is affected not only by abnormalities in cellular apoptotic response, but also involves a number of p53-mediated responses to DNA damage.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed1997

Single and coincident intragenic mutations attributable to gene conversion in a human cell line.

Two polymorphic sites are located within the heterozygous TK1 locus in the human lymphoblastoid cell line TK6: an inactivating frameshift in exon 4 of the nonfunctional allele and a phenotypically silent frameshift in exon 7 of the functional allele. Through the use of these intragenic polymorphisms and microsatellite markers that flank TK1, we demonstrate that partial gene conversion accounts for 3/75 (0.04) spontaneous and 9/163 (0.06) X-ray-induced TK1- mutants, thus comprising a significant component of forward mutations at this locus. In all cases, the conversion tract is < 1 cM, rendering double exchange a remote alternate explanation for these results. Sequence analysis of full length TK1 cDNA provides rigorous exclusion of deletion events as a mechanism for generation of these allelotypes. Detailed examination of allelotypes in TK1- mutants identified two mechanisms for the generation of coincident sequence alterations that sometimes accompanied gene conversions. Mutations within the conversion tract were attributed to either error-prone gap filling synthesis during recombinational repair or mismatch repair within a heteroduplex region following branch migration. These findings suggest that a proportion of point mutations may not be targeted to sites of DNA base damage, but rather may arise as secondary consequences from the repair of DNA strand breaks.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1996

Ionizing radiation signature mutations in human cell mutants induced by low-dose exposures.

Investigation of mutational specificity at low doses has generally not been possible since the number of induced mutants may be similar or significantly lower than the spontaneous background. The use of a low-dose fractionated exposure protocol in TK6 human lymphoblasts results in an incremental accumulation of mutants induced by individual 20 cGy gamma-ray exposures. Therefore, the frequency of induced mutants within a population at the conclusion of a fractionated exposure regimen is sufficiently elevated to permit the recovery of a low-dose mutant collection. Statistical analysis of the data identified no significant differences between mutants induced by 20 or 200 cGy. However, deletions encompassing one or more Xq26 STS markers flanking the hprt locus represented only 1/107 (0.009) spontaneous HPRT- mutants but 34/170 (0.20) mutants induced by 20 or 200 cGy of ionizing radiation (P < 0.0001). The data presented here demonstrate that mutational fingerprints can be effectively defined using deletion mapping for clastogens such as ionizing radiation, and that the radiation-induced mutational spectrum is independent of dose.

B-Lymphocytes↗
PubMed1996

Clonal analysis of delayed karyotypic abnormalities and gene mutations in radiation-induced genetic instability.

Many tumors exhibit extensive chromosomal instability, but karyotypic alterations will be significant in carcinogenesis only by influencing specific oncogenes or tumor suppressor loci within the affected chromosomal segments. In this investigation, the specificity of chromosomal rearrangements attributable to radiation-induced genomic instability is detailed, and a qualitative and quantitative correspondence with mutagenesis is demonstrated. Chromosomal abnormalities preferentially occurred near the site of prior rearrangements, resulting in complex abnormalities, or near the centromere, resulting in deletion or translocation of the entire chromosome arm, but no case of an interstitial chromosomal deletion was observed. Evidence for chromosomal instability in the progeny of irradiated cells also included clonal karyotypic heterogeneity. The persistence of instability was demonstrated for at least 80 generations by elevated mutation rates at the heterozygous, autosomal marker locus tk. Among those TK- mutants that showed a loss of heterozygosity, a statistically significant increase in mutation rate was observed only for those in which the loss of heterozygosity encompasses the telomeric region. This mutational specificity corresponds with the prevalence of terminal deletions, additions, and translocations, and the absence of interstitial deletions, in karyotypic analysis. Surprisingly, the elevated rate of TK- mutations is also partially attributable to intragenic base substitutions and small deletions, and DNA sequence analysis of some of these mutations is presented. Complex chromosomal abnormalities appear to be the most significant indicators of a high rate of persistent genetic instability which correlates with increased rates of both intragenic and chromosomal-scale mutations at tk.

B-Lymphocytes↗