EXPOSURE OF MARINE MAMMALS TO GENOTOXIC ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS: APPLICATION OF THE ~32P-POSTLABELING ASSAY FOR MEASURING DNA-XENOBIOTIC ADDUCTS

摘要

There is little information on exposure of marine mammals to genotoxic environmental contaminants. The ~32-P-postlabeling assay has been successfully used to assess exposure to genotoxic polycyclic aromatic compounds in fish and humans. In the present study, a preliminary investigation showed that polycyclic awromatic compound-like DNA adducts were present in hepatic tissues of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi) exposed to petroleum following the Exxon Valdez oil spill. However, for marine mammals, effects from changes in tissue condition on DNA recovery and quality is of concern, because tissue samples are often collected from animals that have been dead for unknown periods of time.