GENETIC EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS.

Objective

1) RELATE BIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF CHEMICAL MUTAGENS TO THE EXTENT AND SITE OF REACTION BETWEEN THE MUTAGENS AND DNA.
2) DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF METHODS TO IDENTIFY NON-GENOTOXIC CARCINOGENS.
3) DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF ASSAYS TO EVALUATE CHEMICALS CAPABLE OF INDUCING GENOMIC MUTATIONS.
4) TO DEVELOP TEST METHODS WHICH REPLACE OR REDUCE THE USE OF EXPERIMENTAL VERTEBRATE ANIMALS.
An in vitro micronucleus assay, together with immunofluorescent staining of the kinetochores by the CREST antibody, has been used in a Chinese hamster cell line (C1-1) to detect the aneuploidy inducing properties of 4 of the 5 chemicals in package A of the European Economic Community (EEC) aneuploidy programme. Colchicine, Chloral hydrate and Diazepam all gave positive results, but Econazole was only weakly positive.
1) DOSE-EFFECT RELATIONS ARE OBTAINED ON THE INDUCTION OF SCE AND CHROMOSOMAL ABERRATIONS IN BONE MARROW CELLS AND IN SPERMATAGONIA OF MICE TREATED WITH VARIOUS ETHYLATING AND METHYLATING AGENTS.

2) THE EFFECTS OF EPIGENETIC CHEMICALS ON JUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN CELLS IS STUDIED.

3) IMMUNOFLUORESCENT ANTICENTROMETRIC ANTIBODIES ARE USED TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF VARIOUS COMPOUNDS IN THE INDUCTION OF MICRONUCLEI IN CHINESE HAMSTER CELL CULTURES.

4) DETERMINATION OF THE EXTENT TO WHICH HUMAN ERYTHROCYTES AND CELL- HOMOGENATES FROM PLANT MATERIAL CAN BE USED FOR THE ACTIVATION OF SOME CLASSES OF PROMUTAGENS.

Fields of science

Programme(s)

FP1-ENVPROT 4C - Multiannual research and development programmes (EEC) in the field of the environment - Protection of the environment -, 1986-1990

Topic(s)

Data not available

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR)

EU contribution

No data

Address

Città Universitaria Piazzale Aldo Moro 5
00185 Roma
Italy

Total cost