CHROMOSOME SATELLITE ASSOCIATION FREQUENCIES IN COLCHICINE ARRESTED PERIPHERAL BLOOD LYMPHOCYTE METAPHASES OF CONTROL AND OCCUPATIONALLY EXPOSED HUMAN DONORS

JENÕ MAJOR, MÁTYÁS G. JAKAB, ANNA TOMPA

József Fodor National Center for Public Health
National Institute of Chemical Safety, Budapest, Hungary
 
Corresponding author: Jen? Major,
József Fodor National Center for Public Health
National Institute of Chemical Safety,
Department of Human Genotoxicology
H-1450 Budapest, P.O. Box 36, Hungary,
Tel: (+36) 1215-7890
Fax: (+36) 1215 2904
E-mail: j_major@mailexcite.com


CEJOEM 1999, Vol.5. No.1.:26-34



Abbreviations:
ACN = acrylonitrile, PAH = polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons;
AML = acute myeloid leukaemia; PBL = peripheral blood lymphocyte;
BrdU = 5-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine; PCB = polychlorinated biphenyls;
CA = chromosome aberration; PCC = premature chromosome condensation;
DMF = dimethyl-formamide; PRI = proliferation rate index;
ECD = early centromere division; SA = satellite association;
ETO = ethylene oxide; SE = standard error.
MC = permitted maximum concentration;



ABSTRACT: In order to investigate the importance of satellite association (SA) of acrocentric human metaphase chromosomes in cancer risk assessment, SA frequencies were studied in PBLs of 400 Hungarian subjects including 188 control donors and 212 subjects occupationally exposed to different genotoxic chemicals, such as acrylonitrile (ACN) and/or dimethylformamide (DMF), benzene, cytostatic drugs, ethylene oxide (ETO), mixed exposure in rubber industry, mixed organic solvents including CCl4, hot oil mist, bitumen, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). SA data were compared with the obtained chromosome aberration (CA) frequencies. Mitotic chromosomes were prepared by the standard methods, including 5-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine for cell cycle analysis and 0.4 µg/ml colchicine for the arrest of metaphases, and 100 metaphases per donor were scored blind. SA yields were extremely high in each investigated population, regardless to the exposure; however, CA yields were increased as expected in the exposed groups, compared with controls. The present findings suggest that the standard cytogenetic methods used for routine cytogenetic risk assessment, giving good results for CA are inappropriate for the investigation of SA, and, consequently, SA cannot be considered as a cytogenetic end point for risk assessment when standard cytogenetic methods are used.

KEY WORDS: Acrocentric chromosomes, chromosome aberrations, genotoxicology monitoring, risk assessment



ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors thank Mrs. Irén Rétháti, Mrs. Anna Herczeg, Mrs. Andrea Herczeg-Tóth and Mrs. Ibolya Sinka for the technical assistance. This work was financially supported by the grant of Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Hungary, ETT T-08 241/96.
Received: 20 May 1998
Accepted: 18 December 1998

Posted: December 1999

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