Mouse Model for Somatic Mutation at the HPRT (Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyl-Transferase) Gene: Molecular and Cellular Analyses.

摘要

Our goal is to use the mouse to model the organismal, cellular and molecular factors that affect somatic mutagenesis in vivo. A fundamental tenet of genetic toxicology is that the principles of mutagenesis identified in one system can be used to predict the principles of mutagenesis in another system. The validity of this tenet depends upon the comparability of the systems involved. To begin to achieve an understanding of somatic mutagenesis in vivo, we have been studying mutations that occur in the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl-transferase (HPRT) gene of lymphocytes of mice. Our in vivo model for somatic mutation allows us to analyze factors that affect somatic mutation. Having chosen the mouse, we are working with cells in which the karyotype is normal, and metabolic and DNA repair capacity are defined by the mouse strain chosen. At the organismal level, we can vary sex, age, the exposure history, and the tissue source of cells analyzed. (All studies reported here have, however, used male mice.) At the cellular level, T lymphocytes and their precursors are the targets and reporters of mutation. 26 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.