[Revision of th distribution of chromosome aberrations induced by chemical mutagens using the BUDR label]

Cell distribution was analysed with the help of the BrDU label for the number of chromosome aberrations and breaks induced by one-center (thiophosphamide and phosphamide) and two-center (dipine and fotrine) mutagens at the stage G0 in the Ist mitosis of human lymphocytes harvested at different times of culturing (from 56 to 96 h). The comparison was made between the type of aberration distribution in cells and the dependence of their frequency on the harvesting point for various mutagens. Poisson aberration distribution in cells for two-center mutagens was found to correspond to their constant frequency observed at different times of harvesting. On the other hand, for one-center mutagens, a geometrical distribution of chromosome breaks corresponded to an exponential decrease in their frequency in time. It is suggested that two-center chemical mutagens and ionizing radiation cause largely short-live damages which are realized into chromosome aberrations rather quickly (during one cell cycle). One-center mutagens, however, cause such damages that the probability of their transformation into chromosome aberrations is decreasing rather slowly in time, under the exponential law, and their realization into chromosome aberrations can occur in subsequent cell cycle.