Incision of trivalent chromium [Cr(III)]-induced DNA damage by Bacillus caldotenax UvrABC endonuclease

Some hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)]-containing compounds are lung carcinogens. Once within cells, Cr(VI) is reduced to trivalent chromium [Cr(III)] which displays an affinity for both DNA bases and the phosphate backbone. A diverse array of genetic lesions is produced by Cr including Cr–DNA monoadducts, DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs), DNA–Cr–protein crosslinks (DPCs), abasic sites, DNA strand breaks and oxidized bases. Despite the large amount of information available on the genotoxicity of Cr, little is known regarding the molecular mechanisms involved in the removal of these lesions from damaged DNA. Recent work indicates that nucleotide excision repair (NER) is involved in the processing of Cr–DNA adducts in human and rodent cells. In order to better understand this process at the molecular level and begin to identify the Cr–DNA adducts processed by NER, the incision of CrCl₃ [Cr(III)]-damaged plasmid DNA was studied using a thermal-resistant UvrABC NER endonuclease from Bacillus caldotenax (Bca). Treatment of plasmid DNA with Cr(III) (as CrCl₃) increased DNA binding as a function of dose. For example, at a Cr(III) concentration of 1 μM we observed 2 Cr(III)–DNA adducts per plasmid. At this same concentration of Cr(III) we found that 17% of the plasmid DNA contained ICLs (0.2 ICLs/plasmid). When plasmid DNA treated with Cr(III) (1 μM) was incubated with Bca UvrABC we observed 0.8 incisions/plasmid. The formation of endonuclease IV-sensitive abasic lesions or Fpg-sensitive oxidized DNA bases was not detected suggesting that the incision of Cr(III)-damaged plasmid DNA by UvrABC was not related to the generation of oxidized DNA damage. Taken together, our data suggest that a sub-fraction of Cr(III)–DNA adducts is recognized and processed by the prokaryotic NER machinery and that ICLs are not necessarily the sole lesions generated by Cr(III) that are substrates for NER.     

REV1 accumulates in DNA damage-induced nuclear foci in human cells and is implicated in mutagenesis by benzo[a]pyrenediolepoxide

The REV1 gene encodes a Y-family DNA polymerase that has been postulated to have both catalytic and structural functions in translesion replication past UV photoproducts in mammalian cells. To examine if REV1 is implicated in DNA damage tolerance mechanisms after exposure of human cells to a chemical carcinogen, we generated a plasmid expressing REV1 protein fused at its C-terminus with green fluorescent protein (GFP). In transient transfection experiments, virtually all of the transfected cells had a diffuse nuclear pattern in the absence of carcinogen exposure. In contrast, in cells exposed to benzo[a]pyrenediolepoxide, the fusion protein accumulated in a focal pattern in the nucleus in 25% of the cells, and co-localized with PCNA. These data support the idea that REV1 is present at stalled replication forks. We also examined the mutagenic response at the HPRT locus of human cells that had greatly reduced levels of REV1 mRNA due to the stable expression of gene-specific ribozymes, and compared them to wild-type cells. The mutant frequency was greatly reduced in the ribozyme-expressing cells. These data indicate that REV1 is implicated in the mutagenic DNA damage tolerance response to BPDE and support the development of strategies to target this protein to prevent such mutations.     

Protein Mobility in the Cytoplasm of Escherichia coli

The rate of protein diffusion in bacterial cytoplasm may constrain a variety of cellular functions and limit the rates of many biochemical reactions in vivo. In this paper, we report noninvasive measurements of the apparent diffusion coefficient of green fluorescent protein (GFP) in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli. These measurements were made in two ways: by photobleaching of GFP fluorescence and by photoactivation of a red-emitting fluorescent state of GFP (M. B. Elowitz, M. G. Surette, P. E. Wolf, J. Stock, and S. Leibler, Curr. Biol. 7:809–812, 1997). The apparent diffusion coefficient, D_a, of GFP in E. coli DH5α was found to be 7.7 ± 2.5 μm²/s. A 72-kDa fusion protein composed of GFP and a cytoplasmically localized maltose binding protein domain moves more slowly, with D_a of 2.5 ± 0.6 μm²/s. In addition, GFP mobility can depend strongly on at least two factors: first, D_a is reduced to 3.6 ± 0.7 μm²/s at high levels of GFP expression; second, the addition to GFP of a small tag consisting of six histidine residues reduces D_a to 4.0 ± 2.0 μm²/s. Thus, a single effective cytoplasmic viscosity cannot explain all values of D_a reported here. These measurements have implications for the understanding of intracellular biochemical networks.     

Benzo(a)pyrene diolepoxide-haemoglobin and albumin adducts at low levels of benzo(a)pyrene exposure

A biomonitoring study was conducted to simultaneously measure individual benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) exposure in 50 office employees, not occupationally exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), using personal samplers and the formation of (+) r-7, t-8-dihyroxy-t-9,t-10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo(a)pyrene (BPDE) adducts to haemoglobin (BPDE–Hb) and serum albumin (BPDE–SA). The population enrolled was exposed to an average of 0.58 ± 0.46 ng BaP m^?3 (mean ± SD). The concentration of BaP collected from smokers' samples was double that from non-smokers (P = 0.007). BPDE adducts to Hb and SA were quantified as BaP tetrols released from hydrolysis of macromolecules and measured by high-resolution gas chromatography–negative ion chemical ionization–mass spectrometry. BPDE–Hb adducts were detected in 16% of the population and BPDE–SA adducts in 28%. Smoking did not affect adduct formation. When BaP personal monitoring data were used as the criterion of exposure, no correlation was found with the presence and the levels of BPDE–Hb and BPDE–SA adducts. Undetected sources of PAH, such as the diet, might markedly alter the exposure profile depicted by individual air sampling and affect the frequency and levels of protein biomarkers. This is the first comparative analysis of BPDE–Hb and BPDE–SA adducts, providing reference values for these biomarkers in a general urban population. However it is difficult to establish which biomarkers would be the more relevant in assessing low BaP exposure, due to undetectable factors such as dietary PAHs, that might have influenced the results to some degree.     

Evaluation of the antimutagenic potential of chitosan oligosaccharide: Rec, Ames and Umu tests

Two types of chitosan oligosaccharides (COS), COS I (1-kDa < MW < 3-kDa) and COS II (3-kDa < MW < 5-kDa), were tested for antimutagenic activities against chemical mutagens using Umu gene expression, Ames, and Bacillus subtilis Rec mutagenicity tests. At the highest chitosan oligosaccharide dose (1 mg) tested, mutagenic activity of indirect-acting mutagen was inhibited by 50% in the Umu gene expression system and in the Ames test. Chitosan oligosaccharide (0.01, 0.1 and 1 mg) also suppressed 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide (NQO)-induced mutagenicity in the B. subtilis Rec^– assay.     

楚科奇海及其海台区粒度分级叶绿素a与初级生产力

2003年夏季中国第二次北极科学考察期间,在楚科奇海及其海台区进行了叶绿素a浓度与初级生产力的现场观测。结果表明,观测海区叶绿素a浓度范围为0.009～30.390μg/dm3。表层浓度为0.050～4.644μg/dm3,平均值为(0.875±0.981)μg/dm3;陆架区次表层和底层的浓度高于表层,海台区深层水的浓度较低,200m层的浓度为(0.015±0.007)μg/dm3。水柱平均叶绿素a浓度区域性特征明显,陆架区高于海台区。R断面进行3趟重复观测,平均叶绿素a浓度分别为(2.564±1.496)μg/dm3,(1.329±0.882)μg/dm3和(0.965±0.623)μg/dm3,浓度呈下降趋势。观测站潜在初级生产力为0.263～4.186mgC/(m.3h),陆架区平均潜在初级生产力((2.305±1.493)mgC/(m.3h))比海台区((0.527±0.374)mgC/(m.3h))高近4倍。平均同化数为(1.22±1.14)mgC/(mgChla.h)。观测区细胞粒径>20μm的小型浮游生物对总叶绿素a浓度和初级生产力的贡献率分别为63.13%和65.16%,细胞粒径2.0～20μm的微型浮游生物和细胞粒径<2.0μm的微微型浮游生物对总叶绿素a和初级生产力的贡献率相差甚小,其对总叶绿素a浓度的贡献率分别为19.18%和17.69%,对总初级生产力的贡献率分别为20.11%和14.73%。     

A genetically engineered whole-cell pigment-based bacterial biosensing system for quantification of N-butyryl homoserine lactone quorum sensing signal

N-Acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) is a widely conserved quorum sensing (QS) signal of Gram-negative bacteria and has received attention in fighting against human diseases and environmental pollution. However, a method for quantifying AHL is lacking although it is urgently required for diagnosis and bioprocess manipulation. This work screened out an aromatics degrader Pseudomonas aeruginosa for biosensing system development, which produced a blue–green pigment regulated by the RhlI–RhlR QS system. By taking advantage of the recognition of N-butyryl homoserine lactone (BHL, the signal molecule of RhlI–RhlR QS system and an AHL) by the product of rhlR, a new whole-cell biosensor P. aeruginosa ΔrhlIR/pYC-rhlR (rhlI⁻rhlR⁺⁺) was developed. It was constructed through abolishing its BHL production by in-frame deletion of rhlIR and over-expressing rhlR by introducing a multi-copy plasmid pYC-rhlR into ΔrhlIR. By using the pigment production which responded to exogenous BHL as biosensor output, BHL quantification in samples was simply done spectrophotometrically. Under optimum conditions, the calibration curve had the limit of detection (LOD), the 50% activation/effect concentration, the limit of quantification (LOQ), and the quantitative detection range of 1.3 nM, 2.77 ± 0.45 μM, 5.7 nM and 0.11–49.7 μM, respectively. The biosensor output was stable, culture samples could be stored 10 days under −20 °C, and this sensing system was resistant to interferences by toxic aromatic pollutants. It was successfully applied to environmental samples even without extraction. The new whole-cell biosensing system provided a simple, stable, toxic pollutants-tolerant, and cost-effective tool for quantitative investigation of the QS signals’ role in environmental processes.     

Microalgae fiber optic biosensors for herbicide monitoring using sol–gel technology

Three microalgal species (Dictyosphaerium chlorelloides (D.c.), Scenedesmus intermedius (S.i.) and Scenedesmus sp. (S.s.)) were encapsulated in silicate sol–gel matrices and the increase in the amount of chlorophyll fluorescence signal was used to quantify simazine. Influence of several parameters on the preparation of the sensing layers has been evaluated: effect of pH on sol–gel gelation time; effect of algae density on sensor response; influence of glycerol (%) on the membrane stability. Long term stability was also tested and the fluorescence signal from biosensors remained stable for at least 3 weeks. D.c. biosensor presented the lowest detection limits for simazine (3.6 μg L⁻¹) and the broadest dynamic calibration range (19–860 μg L⁻¹) with IC₅₀ 125 ± 14 μg L⁻¹. Biosensor was validated by HPLC with UV/DAD detection. The biosensor showed response to those herbicides that inhibit the photosynthesis at photosystem II (triazines: simazine, atrazine, propazine, terbuthylazine; urea based herbicides: linuron). However, no significant increases of fluorescence response was obtained for similar concentrations of 2,4-D (hormonal herbicide) or Cu(II). The combined use of two biosensors that use two different genotypes, sensitive and resistant to simazine, jointly allowed improving microalgae biosensor specificity.     

Optimization of a Digoxigenin-Based Immunoassay System for Gene Detection in Arabidopsis thaliana

Digoxigenin is derived from a plant steroid hormone digoxin found in the plants Digitalis sp. Digoxigenin has been used successfully in labeling nucleic acids. In this experiment we optimized minimum probe requirement for a nonradioactive digoxigenin-based gene detection system in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We showed that 1 μL of labeled probe was sufficient to hybridize onto 1–10 μg of target plasmid DNA. We also examined the sensitivity of labeled probe and showed that 2 μL of labeled probe was not able to hybridize with 1 μg of target DNA, although 2 μL of labeled probe was able to detect target DNA ranging from 2 to 10 μg. To test the efficacy of our optimization protocol, we used 1 μL of labeled plasmid DNA pU16893 harboring an Arabidopsis housekeeping gene elongation factor-1 and showed that the elongation factor-1 gene could be detected in Arabidopsis genome under various environmental conditions. This paper describes a nonradioactive in situ hybridization technique to detect nucleic acids in plants.     

Protective effects of β-glucan extracted from Agaricus brasiliensis against chemically induced DNA damage in human lymphocytes

β-Glucans (BGs) are polysaccharides that are found in the cell walls of organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and some cereals. The objective of the present study was to investigate the genotoxic and antigenotoxic effects of BG extracted from the mushroom Agaricus brasiliensis (= Agaricus blazei Murrill ss. Heinemann). The mutagenic activity of BG was tested in single-cell gel electrophoresis assays with human peripheral lymphocytes. In addition, the protective effects against the cooked food mutagen 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole (Trp-P-2) and (+/−)-anti-B[a]P-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide (BPDE), which is the main metabolite of B[a]P, and against ROS (H₂O₂)-induced DNA damage, were studied. The results showed that the compound itself was devoid of mutagenic activity, and that a significant dose-dependent protective effect against damage induced by hydrogen peroxide and Trp-P-2 occurred in the dose range 20–80 μg/ml. To investigate the prevention of Trp-P-2-induced DNA damage, a binding assay was carried out to determine whether BG inactivates the amine via direct binding. Since no such interactions were observed, it is likely that BG interacts with enzymes involved in the metabolism of the amine.     

Inhibition of the benzo[<Emphasis Type="Italic">a</Emphasis>]pyrene-induced toxicity by allyl sulfides in human epidermal keratinocytes

Diallyl sulfide (DAS) and diallyl disulfide (DADS) at 25 g ml^–1decreased the benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P)-induced colony growth inhibition of human epidermal keratinocytes. DAS and DADS decreased B[a]P-DNA and B[a]P-protein adducts by 65% and 49–55%, respectively. The B[a]P-induced ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity, a marker enzyme for cytochrome P450 1, was decreased from 3 to 1.7–1.9 nmol min^–1 mg^–1 microsomal protein by DAS and DADS treatments. The activity of glutathione S-transferase, a detoxifying enzyme for B[a]P, but was decreased by DADS, but was unaffected by DAS.     

Kinds and spectrum of mutations induced by 1-nitrosopyrene adducts during plasmid replication in human cells.

1-Nitropyrene has been shown in bacterial assays to be the principal mutagenic agent in diesel emission particulates. It has also been shown to be mutagenic in human fibroblasts and carcinogenic in animals. To investigate the kinds of mutations induced by this carcinogen and compare them with those induced by a structurally related carcinogen, (+/-)-7 beta,8 alpha-dihydroxy-9 alpha,10 alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetra-hydrobenzo [a]pyrene (BPDE) (J.-L. Yang, V. M. Maher, and J. J. McCormick, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84:3787-3791, 1987), we treated a shuttle vector with tritiated 1-nitrosopyrene (1-NOP), a carcinogenic mutagenic intermediate metabolite of 1-nitropyrene which forms the same DNA adduct as the parent compound, and introduced the plasmids into a human embryonic kidney cell line, 293, for DNA replication to take place. The treated plasmid, pZ189, carrying a bacterial suppressor tRNA target gene, supF, was allowed 48 h to replicate in the human cells. Progeny plasmids were then rescued, purified, and introduced into bacteria carrying an amber mutation in the beta-galactosidase gene in order to detect those carrying mutations in the supF gene. The frequency of mutants increased in direct proportion to the number of DNA-1-NOP adducts formed per plasmid. At the highest level of adduct formation tested, the frequency of supF mutants was 26 times higher than the background frequency of 1.4 X 10(-4). DNA sequencing of 60 unequivocally independent mutant derived from 1-NOP-treated plasmids indicated that 80% contained a single base substitution, 5% had two base substitutions, 4% had small insertions or deletions (1 or 2 base pairs), and 11% showed a deletion or insertion of 4 or more base pairs. Sequence data from 25 supF mutants derived from untreated plasmids showed that 64% contained deletions of 4 or more base pairs. The majority (83%) of the base substitution in mutants from 1-NOP-treated plasmids were transversions, with 73% of these being G . C --> T . A. This is very similar to what we found previously in this system, using BPDE, but each carcinogen produced its own spectrum of mutations. Of the five hot spots for base substitution mutations produced in the supF gene with 1-NOP, two were the same as seen with BPDE-treated plasmids. However, the three other hot spots were cold spots for BPDE-treated plasmids. Conversely, four of the other five hot spots seen with BPDE-treated plasmids were cold spots for 1-NOP-treated plasmids. Comparison of the two carcinogens for the frequency of supF mutants induced per DNA adduct showed that 1-NOP-induced adducts were 3.8 times less than BPDE adducts. However, the 293 cell excised 1-NOP-induced adducts faster than BPDE adducts.     

Ability of adducts formed in a shuttle vector by reactive metabolites of 1-nitropyrene and benzo(a)pyrene to induce mutations when the plasmid replicates in human cells

An SV40-based shuttle vector, pZ189, carrying a bacterial suppressor tRNA target gene (supF), was treated with radiolabeled polycyclic aromatic carcinogens and the number of covalently bound residues (adducts) per plasmid was determined. The plasmids were transfected into human cell line 293, allowed to replicate, and the progeny plasmids rescued and assayed for the frequency of supF mutants. The agents tested were the 7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide of benzo(a)pyrene (BPDE) and 1-nitrosopyrene (1-NOP). With each agent there was a linear increase in the frequency of supF mutants as a function of the number of DNA adducts formed, reaching frequencies 15 to 25 times higher than the background frequency of 1.4 x 10(-4). When compared on the basis of adducts formed per plasmid BPDE, which forms its principal DNA adduct at the N2 position of guanine, was approximately four times more mutagenic than 1-NOP, which binds principally at the C8 position of guanine. This difference in mutagenic effectiveness may reflect intrinsic differences in the nature of the adducts and their location in the DNA molecule, but it could also reflect a difference in the rate of removal of particular adducts by nucleotide excision repair since the 293 host cell line excised BPDE-induced adducts from genomic DNA at least three times slower than 1-NOP-induced adducts. Agarose gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing analysis of mutants derived from untreated plasmids showed that the majority (70%) involved deletions, insertions, or altered gel mobility (gross rearrangements). In contrast, the majority of those derived from carcinogen-treated plasmids were base substitutions. DNA sequencing of 86 unequivocally independent mutants derived from BPDE-treated plasmid and 60 from 1-NOP-treated plasmid indicated that 70% to 80% contained a single base substitution, 5%-10% had two base substitutions, and 4%-10% had small insertions or deletions (one or two basepairs). The majority (83%) of the base substitutions in mutants from BPDE- or 1-NOP-treated plasmid were transversions, mainly G.C----T.A. Each carcinogen produced its own spectrum of mutations.     

Propylene oxide: mutagenesis, carcinogenesis and molecular dose

The results from mutagenic and carcinogenic studies of propylene oxide (PO) and the current efforts to develop molecular dosimetry methods for PO–DNA adducts are reviewed. PO has been shown to be active in several bacterial and mammalian mutagenicity tests and induces site of contact tumors in rodents after long-term administration. Quantitation of N7-(2-hydroxypropyl)guanine (7-HPG) in nasal and hepatic tissues of male F344 rats exposed to 500 ppm PO (6 h/day; 5 days/week for 4 weeks) by inhalation was performed to evaluate the potential of high concentrations of PO to produce adducts in the DNA of rodent tissues and to obtain information necessary for the design of molecular dosimetry studies. The persistence of 7-HPG in nasal and hepatic tissues was studied in rats killed three days after cessation of a 4-week exposure period. DNA samples from exposed and untreated animals were analyzed for 7-HPG by two different methods. The first method consisted of separation of the adduct from DNA by neutral thermal hydrolysis, followed by electrophoretic derivatization of the adduct and gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (GC–HRMS) analysis. The second method utilized ³²P-postlabeling to quantitate the amount of this adduct in rat tissues. Adducts present in tissues from rats killed immediately after cessation of exposure were 835.4±80.1 (respiratory), 396.8±53.1 (olfactory) and 34.6±3.0 (liver) pmol adduct/μmol guanine using GC–HRMS. Lower values, 592.7±53.3, 296.5±32.6 and 23.2±0.6 pmol adduct/μmol guanine were found in respiratory, olfactory and hepatic tissues of rats killed after three days of recovery. Analysis of the tissues by ³²P-postlabeling yielded the following values: 445.7±8.0 (respiratory), 301.6±49.2 (olfactory) and 20.6±1.8 (liver) pmol adduct/μmol guanine in DNA of rats killed immediately after exposure cessation and 327.1±21.7 (respiratory), 185.3±29.2 (olfactory) and 15.7±0.9 (liver) pmol adduct/μmol guanine after recovery. Current methods of quantitation did not provide evidence for the endogenous formation of this adduct in control animals. These studies demonstrated that the target tissue for carcinogenesis has much greater alkylation of DNA than liver, a tissue that did not exhibit a carcinogenic response.     

Co-mutagenicity of glyco- and tauro-deoxycholic acids in the Ames test

Mutagenicity and co-mutagenicity of glyco- and tauro-deoxycholic acids (GDCA and TDCA), which are abundant in human bile, were examined by the Ames test. The two chemicals were not mutagenic for themselves to Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100, with and without S9 mix. They enhanced, however, the mutagenic activities of the pro-mutagens, 2-aminoanthracene (2AA) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), for both TA98 and TA100 with S9 mix. They were more co-mutagenic for the pro-mutagens on TA98 than on TA100. On TA98, the mutagenic activities of 2AA with GDCA (5 μmol/plate) and with TDCA (5 μmol/plate) were 9.7-fold and 11.8-fold as high as that of the corresponding control (2AA only), respectively. BaP with GDCA (2.5 μmol/plate) and with TDCA (2.5 μmol/plate) showed 2.8-fold and 3.0-fold increases over the corresponding control level (BaP only), respectively. It is hence concluded that GDCA and TDCA may enhance the activity of some mutagens existing in bile.     

Prostaglandin F2a inhibition of epinephrine stimulated cyclic AMP and progesterone production by rat corpora lutea of various ages

Epinephrine can mimic the stimulatory effects of LH in vitro on cyclic AMP (cAMP) and progesterone production by isolated rat corpora lutea. The aim of the present study was to test whether the effects of epinephrine in vitro on the rat corpus luteum, as with LH, can be inhibited by prostaglandin F_2a (PGF_2a. The stimulatory effect of epinephrine on tissue levels of cAMP in 1-day-old corpora lutea was not inhibited by PGF₂. A dose-dependent inhibition by PGF_2a (0.5–50 μM) was seen for 3-day-old corpora lutea and this inhibition could not be overcome by higher concentrations of epinephrine (0.165–165 μM). The stimulation by epinephrine on progesterone production was inhibited by PGF_2a (5 μM) in 3- and 5-day-old, but not in 1-day-old corpora lutea. Thus, PGF_2a can inhibit the stimulatory effect of epinephrine in 3- and 5-day-old corpora lutea, but not in the newly formed corpora lutea (1-day-old) and PGF_2a shows in this respect the same agedependent inhibitory pattern as in relation to LH stimulation.     

Monitoring airborne genotoxicants in the rubber industry using genotoxicity tests and chemical analyses

This research was designed to examine the presence of mutagenic/carcinogenic compounds in airborne pollutants in the rubber industry using an integrated chemical/biological approach. Inhalable airborne particulate matter (PM-10: <10 μm) was collected in four rubber factories using a high-volume sampler equipped with a cascade impactor for particle fractionation. The organic extracts of two different fractions (0.5–10 μm and <0.5 μm) were examined for mutagenicity with the Ames test and for in vitro DNA-damaging activity in human leukocytes by single-cell microgel electrophoresis (Comet assay). The extracts were also studied by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content. Nitrosamines in ambient air were sampled on cartridges and analysed by GC with a thermal energy analyser (TEA) detector. Airborne volatile genotoxins were monitored in situ using a clastogenicity plant test (Tradescantia/micronuclei test). The results showed that airborne particulates were mainly very fine (<0.5 μm) and that trace amounts of genotoxic nitrosamines (N-nitrosodimethylamine: 0.10–0.98 μg/m³; N-nitrosomorpholine: 0.77–2.40 μg/m³) and PAH (total PAH: 0.34–11.35 μg/m³) were present in air samples. Some extracts, particularly those obtained from the finest fractions, were mutagenic with the Ames test and genotoxic with the Comet assay. In situ monitoring of volatile mutagens using the Tradescantia/micronuclei test gave positive results in two working environments. The results showed the applicability of this integrated chemical–biological approach for detecting volatile and non-volatile genotoxins and for monitoring genotoxic hazards in the rubber industry.     

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of the legume Astragalus sinicus using kanamycin resistance selection and green fluorescent protein expression

To develop an efficient protocol for the transformation of the legume Astragalus sinicus (Chinese milk vetch), cotyledon segments were infected with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105 harboring the binary vector pBINm-gfp5-ER which carries the gfp5 gene encoding green fluorescent protein and the kanamycin (Km) resistance gene nptII. The infected explants were cultured on shoot regeneration (SR) medium containing 1.0 mg l^–1 -naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 1.0 mg l^–1 thidiazuron (TDZ). Putative transformed shoots were selected on SR medium containing 75 g ml^–1 Km, 200 g ml^–1 Timentin, and transformation was monitored by observation of GFP expression under a dissecting fluorescence microscope with appropriate filters. The identification of GFP-expressing shoots or callus in combination with Km selection allowed the visual selection of growing transgenic cells and shoots with no escapes. Plants were regenerated from seven independent transgenic events and five plants have set seed. GFP expression segregated in the T₁ seedlings of the two lines tested in a 3 – 1 ratio. In addition to the GFP expression of the transgenic plants, the transgenic nature of individual plants was confirmed by Southern and Western blot analyses.