Monitoring transfer of recombinant and nonrecombinant plasmids between Lactococcus lactis strains and members of the human gastrointestinal microbiota in vivo--impact of donor cell number and diet.

AIMS: The generation of data of real relevance to the purported risks of DNA transfer from food-borne genetically modified microorganisms (GMMOs) using the human biota associated (HBA) rat model. Plasmid transfer between Lactococcus lactis strains and between donor strains and human gut bacteria was monitored. METHODS AND RESULTS: Transfer of the recombinant plasmid pCK1 and/or the promiscuous nonrecombinant plasmid pAMbeta1 between L. lactis strains was monitored in vivo in HBA rats. No transfer of pCK1 was observed. Transfer of pAMbeta1 was observed to Enterococcus spp. present in the HBA rats. Transconjugants persisted for 30 d and were distributed throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Both HBA rat diet and donor cell numbers impacted on transconjugant numbers. Fewer transconjugants were observed in animals fed a high-fat human type diet, while high levels of plasmid transfer were only observed at doses of donor L. lactis greater than 109 cfu. CONCLUSIONS: The utility of models of the human gut in monitoring DNA transfer events within the gut microbiota was demonstrated. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Such findings give some confidence for the use of GMMOs with recombinant DNA borne on nonconjugative elements in fermented foods. HBA rats are a suitable model for monitoring the fate of food-borne GMMOs.

Carton sterilization by u.v.-C excimer laser light: recovery of Bacillus subtilis spores on vegetable extracts and food simulation matrices.

AIMS: To determine the recovery of Bacillus subtilis spores loaded onto preformed cartons and irradiated with u.v.-excimer laser (248 nm) light. METHODS AND RESULTS: Bacillus subtilis spores irradiated with u.v.-excimer laser light retained phase brightness, but were blocked at various stages of germination. In the presence of germinant, the majority of spores began to lose phase brightness but only after an extended lag period (ca 90 min). After 6 h ca 9% of the spores had elongated but failed to form new cells, approx. 12% had undergone partial phase darkening (grey spores), 15% remained phase bright whilst the remainder had turned fully phase dark but failed to elongate. No enhanced recovery of u.v.-treated spores (with intact or permeabilized coats) occurred in media containing hen egg white lysozyme or vegetable extracts (celery, carrot, swede or turnip). However, recovery did occur when irradiated spores were incubated for 26 d, semiaerobically, within cartons containing nutrient broth or milk. CONCLUSIONS: The germination ability of B. subtilis spores is altered following u.v.-excimer laser treatment. Recovery of treated spores was found in liquid systems but not on agar plates supplemented with vegetable extracts or lysozyme. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The potential recovery of u.v.-excimer laser-treated spores in a range of carton-packed food systems requires further investigation.

Inactivation of Bacillus subtilis spores on aluminum and polyethylene preformed cartons by UV-excimer laser irradiation.

The efficacy of UV KrF-excimer laser light (at 248 nm) to inactivate Bacillus subtilis spores loaded onto preformed cartons was found to be dependent on the interior carton coating and scheme by which the irradiation was applied. When the carton was held static during UV laser treatment, the majority of the dose was delivered to the base of the carton and to a lesser extent to the upper part of the pack. In this arrangement no irradiation of the interior sides of the carton was observed. A more even distribution of dose was achieved, however, by moving the carton within the laser beam during irradiation treatment. The distribution of UV was also found to be dependent on the type of carton interior coating. With aluminum cartons the dose measured was found to be significantly greater (P < 0.01) and more evenly distributed across the interior compared to when polyethylene packs were tested. Under optimized conditions no spore survivors were detected on aluminum cartons preloaded with 9.5 x l0 B. subtilis spores by applying a UV laser output dose of 160 J. In comparison, the same conditions only achieved a significantly lower (P < 0.01) reduction in spore numbers (log count reduction 4.2) when polyethylene cartons were used. This difference in lethality and UV distribution of laser light was associated with the higher internal reflection of photons with aluminum cartons. The suitability of UV-excimer lasers for sterilizing preformed cartons over traditional germicidal lamp-based methods is discussed.

Inactivation of Bacillus subtilis spores on packaging surfaces by u. v. excimer laser irradiation.

Ultraviolet (u.v.) laser irradiation has been used to inactivate Bacillus subtilis spores deposited on to planar aluminium- and polyethylene-coated packaging surfaces. Kill kinetics were found to be diphasic, with an initial rapid inactivation phase followed by tailing. Although no definitive evidence was obtained, it is thought that spores located within packaging crevices/pores were primarily responsible for the observed tailing. Surviving spores were also found on the unexposed underside of cards and, to a lesser extent, within clumps. The log count reduction in B. subtilis was dependent on spore loading and total u.v. dose. In comparison, packaging surface composition, fluence (2-18 Jm-2) and frequency (40-150 Hz) had only a negligible effect. By irradiating boards carrying 106 spores, with a dose of 11.5 J cm-2, a log count reduction >5 was obtained. The mode of spore inactivation was primarily through DNA disruption. This was confirmed by the high sensitivity of spores lacking protective, small, acid-soluble proteins, in addition to the high frequency of auxotrophic and asporogenous mutations found amongst survivors.

Species differences in hepatic peroxisome proliferation, cell replication and transforming growth factor-beta1 gene expression in the rat, Syrian hamster and guinea pig.

The objective of this study was to evaluate species differences in the hepatic effects of three potent rodent peroxisome proliferators, namely methylclofenapate (MCP), ciprofibrate (CIP) and Wy-14,643 (WY), particularly with respect to effects on replicative DNA synthesis and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) gene expression. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, Syrian hamsters and Dunkin-Hartley guinea pigs were given daily oral doses of 0 (corn oil) and 75 mg/kg MCP for periods of 6 and 21 days. Syrian hamsters and guinea pigs were also treated with 25 mg/kg CIP and 25 mg/kg WY. Relative liver weights were significantly increased in peroxisome proliferator-treated rats and Syrian hamsters, but not in guinea pigs. Hepatic peroxisomal (palmitoyl-CoA oxidation) and microsomal (lauric acid 12-hydroxylase) fatty acid oxidising enzyme activities and CYP4A isoform mRNA levels were significantly increased in rats and Syrian hamsters, whereas only minor effects were observed in the guinea pig. Replicative DNA synthesis was studied by implanting 7-day osmotic pumps containing 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine during study days -1 to 6 and 14 to 21. Hepatocyte labelling index values were increased by MCP in the rat, but neither MCP, CIP nor WY produced any significant effect on replicative DNA synthesis in the Syrian hamster and guinea pig. MCP treatment increased TGF-beta1 and insulin-like growth factor II/mannose-6-phosphate (IGFII/Man6P) receptor gene expression in the rat. In the Syrian hamster, effects on TGF-beta1 and IGFII/Man6P receptor gene expression were also observed in some instances, whereas TGF-beta1 mRNA levels were essentially unchanged in the guinea pig. These results provide further evidence for marked species differences in response to rodent peroxisome proliferators. While peroxisome proliferators produce a wide spectrum of effects in rat liver, other species such as the Syrian hamster and guinea pig are less responsive and in the case of some endpoints (e.g., cell replication) may be refractory.

Effects of soy or rye supplementation of high-fat diets on colon tumour development in azoxymethane-treated rats.

Evidence is accumulating that a diet high in plant-derived foods may be protective against cancer. One class of plant component under increasing investigation is the phytoestrogens of which there are two main groups: the isoflavones, found mainly in soy products, and the lignans, which are more ubiquitous and are found in fruit, vegetables and cereals with high levels being found in flaxseed. In this study, we have used carefully balanced high-fat (40% energy) diets: a control diet (containing low isoflavone soy protein as the sole protein source), a rye diet (the control diet supplemented with rye bran) and a soy diet (containing as protein source a high isoflavone soy protein). The effect of these diets on the development of colonic cancer was studied in F-344 rats treated with the carcinogen, azoxymethane (two doses of 15 mg/kg given 1 week apart). Colons from treated animals were examined for aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and tumours after 12 and 31 weeks. Results after 12 weeks showed no differences in the total number of ACF in the control, soy or rye bran groups. However, the soy group had increased numbers of small ACF (less than four crypts/focus) while the rye group had decreased numbers of large ACF (greater than six crypts/focus). Examination of colons after 31 weeks gave similar low numbers of ACF in each group with no differences in multiplicity. There were no differences in the number of tumours between the control (1.36 tumours/rat) and soy (1.38 tumours/rat) groups. However, there was a significant decrease in the number of tumours in the rye group (0.17 tumours/rat). These results suggest that soy isoflavones have no effect on the frequency of colonic tumours in this model while rye bran supplementation decreases the frequency of colon cancer. This effect is due not to a decrease in early lesions but in their progression to larger multi-crypt ACF. The study also supports the hypothesis that larger ACF are more predictive of subsequent tumorigenicity.

Investigation of mutant frequency at the HPRT locus and changes in microsatellite sequences in healthy young adults.

In an attempt to understand the inter-individual variation that occurs in in vivo mutant frequency at the HPRT locus, we have examined the effect of polymorphisms in genes for metabolic enzymes on the mutation rate. In the same population of human volunteers, the background variant frequency in a number of microsatellite sequences was studied to determine individual variation in the capacity to repair mismatches in these sequences. The HPRT mutant frequency of T-cells isolated from a group of 49 healthy, non-smoking adults varied from 0.25 to 9.64 x 10(-6). The frequency of polymorphisms in CYP1A1, GSTM1 and NAT2 among these individuals was similar to those published, and when subjected to univariate analysis these polymorphisms showed no influence on the HPRT mutant frequency. However, there was a significant interaction between the GSTM1 null genotype and the slow acetylator status in NAT2 (P < 0.05) which was associated with higher mutant frequency. Analysis of 30 microsatellite sequences in 20 HPRT proficient clones per individual showed only six alterations in total, giving an overall mutation rate per allele of 0.01%, whilst three alterations were found in five HPRT deficient clones per individual examined for changes in 10 microsatellites, giving an overall mutation rate per allele of 0.3%. Thus, the alterations detected are probably due to background mutations and not to differences in mismatch repair capacity.

Long-term analysis of colonic aberrant crypt formation after treatment of Sprague-Dawley rats with azoxymethane.

Human colon cancer is a multistage disease which has been shown to have a number of well-defined histological and genetic events. This knowledge has identified a series of stages in the development of colon cancer in which dietary components and chemicals may play either a beneficial or detrimental role. Azoxymethane-induced colon cancer in the rat represents a way of investigating such effects on the temporal development of the disease. To assess the stages involved in the long-term development of colon cancer in this animal model, Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with either one or two (given 24 hours apart) doses of azoxymethane (15 mg/kg). These low doses were chosen in an attempt to mimic the slow development of the human disease. At varying time intervals (5-84 weeks) after treatment, animals were killed and their colons were examined for lesions. Evidence was found in the distal region of the colon of a progression from early alterations (aberrant crypt foci) to microadenomas and polyps. This progression occurs in the region where carcinomas were found. The best correlation with tumorigenicity was the multiplicity of the crypts in each focus rather than simply the number of aberrant crypt foci. The aberrant crypts were microdissected from the colon and DNA was prepared. The following genes were screened for mutation using polymerase chain reaction with single-strand conformation polymorphism, oligonucleotide hybridisation, restriction site changes and sequencing: Ki-ras (exons 1 and 2), p53 (exons 5, 6, and 7 which correspond to exons 5-8 in humans), and APC (exon 15 corresponding to the mutation cluster region in humans). Extensive studies of the aberrant crypt foci formed revealed no mutations in these lesions. These results suggest that the aberrant crypt focus may be a useful short-term preneoplastic marker. However, it is clear from this and other studies that the genetic progression in the rat may vary according to the treatment regimen used and differs from that found in human. Key genes in the development of colon cancer in the rat remain to be elucidated.

Association of c-fos mRNA expression and excitotoxicity in primary cultures of mouse neocortical and cerebellar neurons.

The effect of excitatory amino acids (EAAs) on c-fos mRNA expression was studied in primary cultures of mouse cerebellar granule cells and in neocortical neurons after 2 and 7 days in vitro (div). In cultured granule cells at 2 and 7 div, and in cortical neurons at 2 div, exposure to low levels (< or = 10 microM) of a variety of EAAs (viz. glutamate [Glu], S-sulpho-L-cysteine [SC], N-methyl-D-aspartate [NMDA], alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole [AMPA], and kainate [KA]) resulted in a transient increase in the level of c-fos mRNA which peaked at 30 min but returned to a basal level by 120 min. However, exposure of granule cells (7 div) to high levels (250 microM) of Glu, NMDA, KA, SC and of cortical neurons (7 div) to high levels (250 microM) of Glu, NMDA, KA, SC, or AMPA and to low levels (< or = 10 microM) of Glu and AMPA resulted in a delay in c-fos mRNA induction but a subsequent, progressive increase that was sustained for at least 240 min. Furthermore, this effect was accompanied by a dose-related increase in the release of the cytosolic enzyme, lactate dehydrogenase, used as an indicator of excitotoxicity. A ratio (Q240/30) for the steady-state levels of c-fos mRNA after 30 min and 240 min of exposure to EAAs was determined which showed that Q240/30 >2 correlated reproducibly with excitotoxic cell death, whereas a ratio of < or = 1 correlated with a nonexcitotoxic event. In both cell types at 7 div, coadministration of the selective NMDA receptor antagonist, DL(+/-)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (APV) with cytotoxic levels of Glu 1) protected against EAA-induced neurotoxicity and 2) exhibited a transient c-fos mRNA expression (Q240/30 values approximately 1). In contrast, the AMPA/KA receptor antagonist, 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX), provided no protection against excitotoxicity and had no significant effect on the Glu-induced delay in c-fos mRNA expression. These results suggest that the Q240/30 c-fos mRNA ratio may 1) be used as a predictive index for excitotoxic neuronal death, 2) provide information on the identity of the receptor subtype mediating excitotoxicity in different brain cell types, and 3) aid in establishing the role of excitotoxicity during the development of neurons in vitro.

Differential profiles of c-fos expression within primary cultures of mouse cerebellar granule cells stimulated with the excitatory amino acid l-glutamate: Correlation with excitotoxic outcome and derivation of a predictive index.

Exposure of mouse cerebellar granule cells to l-glutamate (Glu) at low non-excitotoxic concentrations results in a transient expression of the c-fos proto-oncogene. Higher excitotoxic concentrations of Glu result in a change in the temporal profile of c-fos expression to a delayed but sustained response. We have derived a ratio for the steady-state levels of c-fos mRNA after 30 min and 240 min of exposure to Glu, which suggests that a 240 min/30 min ratio of greater than 1 correlates with excitotoxicity (as measured by elevated LDH release), whereas a ratio of less than 1 correlates with a non-excitotoxic outcome.

Detection of CYP1A1 mRNA levels and CYP1A1 Msp polymorphisms as possible biomarkers of exposure and susceptibility in smokers and non-smokers.

It is important to determine sensitive biomarkers for both exposure and susceptibility since differences in individual susceptibility to potentially hazardous chemicals may represent a major variable in the assessment of risk. Induction of cytochrome P450IA1 (CYP1A1) may be a measure of environmental exposure to aromatic hydrocarbons in cigarette smoke. This study investigated the use of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect constitutive levels of CYP1A1 mRNA in the peripheral lymphocytes of a population of smokers and non-smokers as a potential marker of exposure. In addition, the presence of an Msp 1 restriction fragment length polymorphism was analyzed using a simple PCR method as a biomarker for susceptibility. DNA and RNA were isolated from the peripheral lymphocytes of 20 smokers and a matched group of non-smokers. RT-PCR was used to detect the endogenous levels of CYP1A1 mRNA with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase as a control gene. The 3'-region of CYP1A1 gene was amplified by PCR and underwent restriction digestion with Msp 1 to detect the polymorphism. The endogenous CYP1A1 expression as detected by RT-PCR was very low and variable and there was a slight but not significant increase in the smokers by comparison with non-smokers. Thirty-two of the volunteers were homozygous for the normal allele while 8 were heterozygous for the uncommon Msp 1 allele and none was homozygous for the polymorphism. The allele frequency (0.1) was found to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Since only a slight increase was seen in endogenous CYP1A1 mRNA levels in the peripheral lymphocytes of smokers by comparison with non-smokers, the effect may have been diluted by variation in sensitivity to dose, a threshold of exposure effect, or the return of mRNA to baseline between exposures. The wide variation in mRNA levels may reflect the influence and exposure of different environmental factors. The sensitivity of PCR-based methods suggests that they may have an important role in future overall biomonitoring of exposure and susceptibility to environmental chemicals.

Excitatory amino acid-induced cytotoxicity in primary cultures of mouse cerebellar granule cells correlates with elevated, sustained c-fos proto-oncogene expression.

An elevated, sustained expression of c-fos mRNA was found in primary cultures of mouse cerebellar granule cells following exposure to toxic concentrations of the excitatory amino acids, L-glutamate, L-homocysteate, S-sulpho-L-cysteine and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), using leakage of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as an indicator of cytotoxicity. In contrast, when used at non-toxic concentrations these compounds induced a rapid and transient increase in c-fos mRNA levels. Both LDH release and elevated, sustained c-fos mRNA induction were blocked (in the case of L-homocysteate) or reduced (in the case of L-glutamate and S-sulpho-L-cysteine) by the selective NMDA receptor antagonist (DL(+/-)-2-amino- 5-phosphonopentanoic acid) whereas 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (a selective antagonist at non-NMDA ionotropic receptors) had no effect. These data suggest a role for altered c-fos mRNA expression in excitotoxic mechanisms.

Molecular analysis of chemically-induced mutations in mammalian cell assays.

Two mammalian cell mutation assays, the HPRT/V79 assay and the TK/mouse lymphoma assay, were compared for their ability to respond to the genotoxic chemicals ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) and mitomycin C (MMC). Whereas EMS induced a high mutant frequency at both loci, MMC produced few mutants at the hprt locus, but induced a large number of mutants at the tk locus. Southern blotting analysis showed that this difference was due to the type of genetic damage induced by the two chemicals. Intragenic changes ranging from point mutations to loss of the entire gene were recovered as viable mutants at both the hprt and tk loci. Thus, EMS which causes mainly intragenic mutations induced similar mutant frequencies at both loci. The large multilocus deletions induced by MMC, in which the damage was assumed in many cases to extend into a gene essential for growth since most TK mutants were slow-growing, could not be recovered at the hprt locus. Whereas both loci will detect intergenic mutations, mutants carrying large-scale damage are recoverable only at the heterozygous tk locus. At the hemizygous hprt locus no homologous chromosome exists to provide the function of essential genes if these are lost along with hprt in multilocus deletions. Most human cancers develop as a highly complex process involving both gene and multilocus mutations in oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes. Thus the TK/mouse lymphoma assay is a more appropriate in vitro test for the detection of chemicals capable of causing the types of DNA lesions important in human cancer.

Growth characteristics and Ha-ras mutations of cell cultures isolated from chemically induced mouse liver tumours.

Cells have been isolated from liver tumours that have arisen in control C3H/He mice, in mice given 10 micrograms diethylnitrosamine (DEN) during the neonatal period or in mice given a diet containing phenobarbitone (PB) to allow a daily intake of 85 mg/kg/day. The cells were grown to the 8 degrees subculture when their growth characteristics were investigated in monolayer culture and following suspension in soft agar and on transplantation into nude mice. In addition, DNA was isolated from the cultures and from tumours that grew in nude mice and analysed for mutations at codon 61 of the Ha-ras oncogene. All cells derived from DEN-induced hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) demonstrated a lack of density inhibition of growth in monolayer culture, grew in soft agar and formed tumours in nude mice with an average mean latency of 29 days. Three of the seven lines showed mutations in Ha-ras: two were CAA-->AAA transversions and one showed a CAA-->CTA transversion. In contrast, cells isolated from eosinophilic nodules in mice given PB showed inhibition of growth at confluence, did not grow in soft agar and only four of eight formed tumours in nude mice with a mean average latent period of 181 days. Cells grown from HCC in mice given PB showed a lack of density inhibition of growth, however, they did not grow in soft agar nor did they form tumours in nude mice. A single spontaneous HCC from a control mouse showed a similar growth pattern to HCC cells isolated from mice given PB. Cells from a basophilic nodule, taken from a control untreated mouse grew vigorously in culture and in soft agar and formed tumours in nude mice with a latency of 6 days. None of the cells isolated from control mice or from mice given PB showed evidence of mutations at codon 61 of Ha-ras. These data confirm that there are fundamental differences in the biology of cells grown from tumours that develop in mice under different treatment regimes. These studies also demonstrate the utility of cell culture and molecular biology in addressing the fundamental mechanism of mouse hepatic neoplasia.

Effect of some peroxisome proliferators on transforming growth factor-beta 1 gene expression and insulin-like growth factor II/mannose-6-phosphate receptor gene expression in rat liver.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given daily oral doses of either corn oil (control), 80 mg/kg nafenopin (NAF), 50 mg/kg methylclofenapate (MCP), 50 mg/kg Wy-14,643 (WY) or 250 mg/kg clofibric acid (CA) for 7 days. All four compounds increased relative liver weight and produced hepatic peroxisome proliferation as assessed by induction of both peroxisomal (palmitoyl-CoA oxidation) and microsomal (lauric acid 12-hydroxylase) fatty acid oxidising enzyme activities. RNA was extracted from liver samples and analysed for expression of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) and the insulin-like growth factor II/mannose-6-phosphate (IGFII/Man6P) receptor (which may be involved in transporting latent TGF-beta 1 into hepatocytes). TGF-beta 1 mRNA levels were increased to 151-178% of control by all four compounds, whereas NAF, MCP and WY, but not CA, increased IGFII/Man6P receptor mRNA levels to 195-209% of control. The induction of TGF-beta 1 and IGFII/Man6P receptor expression by short term treatment with peroxisome proliferators may represent an adaptive response to limit the initial hyperplastic effects of such compounds.

Screening for p53 mutations in C3H/He mouse liver tumors derived spontaneously or induced with diethylnitrosamine or phenobarbitone.

Distinct differences have been described in the development of C3H/He mouse liver tumors induced by the genotoxic carcinogen diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and by the nongenotoxic agent phenobarbitone (PB) in terms of pathology and the frequency of mutation at codon 61 of the Ha-ras oncogene. To further define the mechanisms involved, we screened the tumor suppressor gene p53 for mutations in exons 5, 7, and 8 using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Nearly all the mutations so far described have been found within these three exons. In this study a total of six spontaneous tumors, eight tumors induced by PB, 14 tumors induced by DEN, and five samples of normal liver tissue were screened, and no mutations were found in any of the tumors examined. The positive control, the plasmid LTRp53cG (val), had a point mutation in exon 5 that was detected by PCR-SSCP. Since many of the tumors were late-stage hepatocellular carcinomas, we concluded that mutations in exons 5, 7, and 8 of the p53 gene do not play an important role in the development of chemically induced liver tumors in the C3H/He mouse.

Molecular analysis of mutations at the tk locus of L5178Y mouse-lymphoma cells induced by ethyl methanesulphonate and mitomycin C.

Mutations at the tk locus of mouse-lymphoma L5178Y cells were induced by treatment with ethyl methanesulphonate (EMS), primarily a point mutagen and mitomycin C (MMC), a potent clastogen. Mutant colony size was distinctly bimodal with 35% of spontaneous mutants growing as small colonies and 65% large. The proportion of small colonies increased only slightly to 41% in EMS-treated cultures but to 64% after MMC treatment. Mutations were analysed by Southern and Northern blotting. Digestion of DNA with the restriction enzyme, Nco I, revealed that many mutants had lost a 6.3-kb fragment which constituted the loss of the entire tk gene. Almost all of the EMS-induced large-colony mutants analysed (9/10) retained the tk+ allele suggesting the presence of an intragenic mutation. Of the small-colony mutants, half (6/12) had lost the tk+ gene and presumably other genes affecting growth and half retained the tk+ allele suggesting point mutations in both the tk gene and other sites in the genome affecting growth. A very different spectrum of mutation was induced with MMC. Only 1/12 of the large-colony mutants were due to intragenic mutation, the remaining large-colony mutants having lost the tk+ allele while all the small-colony mutants had lost the tk+ gene presumably with the deletion extending to genes essential for normal growth. Northern blot analysis showed no changes in the size of tk transcript in any mutants. Alterations in the amount of tk mRNA were not detectable since all mutants produced an mRNA of similar size and amount, which may indicate the production of an abnormal mRNA from the tk- allele. Unlike cell-mutation assays that use hemizygous loci (such as hprt+/0) for detecting potential chemical carcinogens, the mouse-lymphoma tk+/- assay allows the recovery of both intragenic and intergenic mutations thus enabling the detection of both point mutagens such as EMS and potent clastogens like MMC.