Biomaterial Database

Use of DNA fingerprinting to detect genotoxic effects. 1998

D Savva

School of Animal and Microbial Sciences, The University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AJ, United Kingdom.

The effects of environmental pollutants on organisms may be monitored in a number of ways and at different levels. In the case of genotoxic chemicals, the effects on the DNA may be monitored using a number of biomarker assays capable of detecting phenotypic changes as a result of mutation, gross chromosomal abnormalities, unscheduled DNA synthesis, DNA adducts (e.g., by 32P postlabeling or by ELISA) and DNA strand breaks (e.g., by the alkaline unwinding assay or the comet assay); the sensitivity and specificity of these assays are variable. Recent developments in molecular biology such as DNA fingerprinting and gene amplification by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) offer new possibilities for detecting DNA damage. In this laboratory, whether an alternative biomarker assay (using DNA fingerprinting by arbitrarily primed PCR) can reveal differences in the DNA fingerprints of individuals from control and polluted areas was investigated. The results indicate that DNA fingerprinting by arbitrarily primed PCR offers a useful alternative biomarker assay for detection of the genotoxic effects of environmental pollutants.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009152	Mutagenicity Tests	Tests of chemical substances and physical agents for mutagenic potential. They include microbial, insect, mammalian cell, and whole animal tests.	Genetic Toxicity Tests,Genotoxicity Tests,Mutagen Screening,Tests, Genetic Toxicity,Toxicity Tests, Genetic,Genetic Toxicity Test,Genotoxicity Test,Mutagen Screenings,Mutagenicity Test,Screening, Mutagen,Screenings, Mutagen,Test, Genotoxicity,Tests, Genotoxicity,Toxicity Test, Genetic
D003386	Brachyura	An infraorder of chiefly marine, largely carnivorous CRUSTACEA, in the order DECAPODA, including the genera Cancer, Uca, and Callinectes.	Blue Crab,Callinectes sapidus,Carcinus maenas,Crab, Blue,Crab, Common Shore,Crab, Green,Crabs, Short-Tailed,Crabs, True,Green Crab,Uca,Common Shore Crab,European Shore Crab,Blue Crabs,Brachyuras,Carcinus maena,Common Shore Crabs,Crab, European Shore,Crab, Short-Tailed,Crab, True,Crabs, Blue,Crabs, Common Shore,Crabs, Green,Crabs, Short Tailed,Green Crabs,Shore Crab, Common,Shore Crab, European,Shore Crabs, Common,Short-Tailed Crab,Short-Tailed Crabs,True Crab,True Crabs,Ucas,maenas, Carcinus
D004249	DNA Damage	Injuries to DNA that introduce deviations from its normal, intact structure and which may, if left unrepaired, result in a MUTATION or a block of DNA REPLICATION. These deviations may be caused by physical or chemical agents and occur by natural or unnatural, introduced circumstances. They include the introduction of illegitimate bases during replication or by deamination or other modification of bases; the loss of a base from the DNA backbone leaving an abasic site; single-strand breaks; double strand breaks; and intrastrand (PYRIMIDINE DIMERS) or interstrand crosslinking. Damage can often be repaired (DNA REPAIR). If the damage is extensive, it can induce APOPTOSIS.	DNA Injury,DNA Lesion,DNA Lesions,Genotoxic Stress,Stress, Genotoxic,Injury, DNA,DNA Injuries
D004784	Environmental Monitoring	The monitoring of the level of toxins, chemical pollutants, microbial contaminants, or other harmful substances in the environment (soil, air, and water), workplace, or in the bodies of people and animals present in that environment.	Monitoring, Environmental,Environmental Surveillance,Surveillance, Environmental
D004785	Environmental Pollutants	Substances or energies, for example heat or light, which when introduced into the air, water, or land threaten life or health of individuals or ECOSYSTEMS.	Environmental Pollutant,Pollutant,Pollutants,Pollutants, Environmental,Pollutant, Environmental
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001564	Benzo(a)pyrene	A potent mutagen and carcinogen. It is a public health concern because of its possible effects on industrial workers, as an environmental pollutant, an as a component of tobacco smoke.	3,4-Benzopyrene,3,4-Benzpyrene,3,4 Benzopyrene,3,4 Benzpyrene
D016133	Polymerase Chain Reaction	In vitro method for producing large amounts of specific DNA or RNA fragments of defined length and sequence from small amounts of short oligonucleotide flanking sequences (primers). The essential steps include thermal denaturation of the double-stranded target molecules, annealing of the primers to their complementary sequences, and extension of the annealed primers by enzymatic synthesis with DNA polymerase. The reaction is efficient, specific, and extremely sensitive. Uses for the reaction include disease diagnosis, detection of difficult-to-isolate pathogens, mutation analysis, genetic testing, DNA sequencing, and analyzing evolutionary relationships.	Anchored PCR,Inverse PCR,Nested PCR,PCR,Anchored Polymerase Chain Reaction,Inverse Polymerase Chain Reaction,Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction,PCR, Anchored,PCR, Inverse,PCR, Nested,Polymerase Chain Reactions,Reaction, Polymerase Chain,Reactions, Polymerase Chain
D016172	DNA Fingerprinting	A technique for identifying individuals of a species that is based on the uniqueness of their DNA sequence. Uniqueness is determined by identifying which combination of allelic variations occur in the individual at a statistically relevant number of different loci. In forensic studies, RESTRICTION FRAGMENT LENGTH POLYMORPHISM of multiple, highly polymorphic VNTR LOCI or MICROSATELLITE REPEAT loci are analyzed. The number of loci used for the profile depends on the ALLELE FREQUENCY in the population.	DNA Fingerprints,DNA Profiling,DNA Typing,Genetic Fingerprinting,DNA Fingerprint,DNA Fingerprintings,DNA Profilings,DNA Typings,Fingerprint, DNA,Fingerprinting, DNA,Fingerprinting, Genetic,Fingerprintings, DNA,Fingerprintings, Genetic,Fingerprints, DNA,Genetic Fingerprintings,Profiling, DNA,Typing, DNA,Typings, DNA
D051381	Rats	The common name for the genus Rattus.	Rattus,Rats, Laboratory,Rats, Norway,Rattus norvegicus,Laboratory Rat,Laboratory Rats,Norway Rat,Norway Rats,Rat,Rat, Laboratory,Rat, Norway,norvegicus, Rattus