Work

Mutagenicity of arsenic in mammalian cells: Role of reactive oxygen species

Year: 1998

Type: article

Abstract: Arsenite, the trivalent form of arsenic present in the environment, is a known human carcinogen that lacked mutagenic activity in bacterial and standard mammalian cell mutation assays. We show herein that when evaluated in an assay (AL cell assay), in which both intragenic and multilocus mutations are detectable, that arsenite is in fact a strong dose-dependent mutagen and that it induces mostly large deletion mutations. Cotreatment of cells with the oxygen radical scavenger dimethyl sulfoxide significantly reduces the mutagenicity of arsenite. Thus, the carcinogenicity of arsenite can be explained at least in part by it being a mutagen that depends on reactive oxygen species for its activity.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.95.14.8103

Authors: Tom K. Hei, Su X. Liu, Charles Waldren

Institutions: Columbia University, Colorado State University

Language: English

Topic: Carcinogens and Genotoxicity Assessment

Subfield: Cancer Research

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences