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Practical Screening for DNA Damage

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Molecular Life Sciences

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Synonyms

Genotoxicity assays; Mutation assays

Definition

Biological assays are used to measure the potential genotoxicity (including mutation) of chemicals in the regulatory arena, particularly in the areas of pharmaceuticals and industrial and agricultural chemicals. One of the main applications is in the prediction of causing cancer in humans.

Discussion

Genotoxicity screening is necessary in many situations, including the safety assessment of new industrial chemicals and drug candidates. With regard to the latter, it is very difficult to advance a genotoxic entity, and the process requires rapid, low-cost analysis of many compounds. In the absence of knowledge about the specific modified bases that could be obtained, the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and other assays mentioned under “Analysis of damaged DNA” are not practical.

The most commonly used approach is a biological one, mutagenesis in the Salmonella typhimuriumbase-pair and frameshift tester strains developed by...

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References

  • Ames BN, Durston WE, Yamasaki E et al (1973) Carcinogens are mutagens: a simple test system combining liver homogenates for activation and bacteria for detection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 70:2281–2285

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  • Randerath K, Reddy MV, Gupta RC (1981) 32P-labeling test for DNA damage. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 78:6126–6129

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  • Shimada T, Oda Y, Yamazaki H et al (1994) SOS function tests for studies of chemical carcinogenesis in Salmonella typhimurium TA 1535/pSK1002, NM2009, and NM3009. In: Adolph KW (ed) Methods in molecular genetics, vol 5, Gene and chromosome analysis. Academic, Orlando, pp 342–355

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Center in Molecular Toxicology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2200 Pierce Ave, Nashville, TN, 37232-0146, USA

    F. Peter Guengerich

Authors
  1. F. Peter Guengerich
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to F. Peter Guengerich .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Chemistry, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia, USA

    Ellis Bell

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Guengerich, F.P. (2014). Practical Screening for DNA Damage. In: Bell, E. (eds) Molecular Life Sciences. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6436-5_232-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6436-5_232-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6436-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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