Use of an Antikinetochore Antibody and DNA Probes to Measure Aneuploidy Induction in Interphase Human Lymphocytes and Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells.

摘要

Aneuploidy in germ cells is associated with birth defects, spontaneous abortions, and infertility, whereas in somatic cells aneuploidy may lead to cell death and carcinogenesis. The nonrandom numerical chromosomal changes that are often observed in tumors or transformed cells suggest that aneuploidy induction by chemicals may be involved in carcinogenesis. The identification of aneuploidy inducing agents (aneuploidogens) and studies into the mechanisms by which aneuploidy may be involved in carcinogenesis are currently limited in that standard cytogenetic techniques are time consuming, require highly skilled personnel and are prone to technical artifacts. Recent developments in immunology and molecular biology have resulted in new techniques which may allow simple and rapid identification of aneuploidogens. We report the development of two new approaches to determine the aneuploidy-inducing potential of chemicals. The first approach involves the induction of micronuclei in human lymphocytes and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and the use of an antikinetochore antibody to determine whether micronuclei contain centromeres---a condition indicating potential aneuploidy. The second approach involves the use of in situ hybridization with fluorescently labeled chromosome-specific DNA probes and the subsequent counting of the number of copies of that chromosome in the interphase nuclei of human lymphocytes. 8 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab. (ERA citation 14:013614)