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Related Concept Videos

Assaying DNA Damage in Hippocampal Neurons Using the Comet Assay10:00

Assaying DNA Damage in Hippocampal Neurons Using the Comet Assay

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The comet assay is an efficient way of detecting single- and double-strand breaks, including alkali-labile sites and DNA-DNA/DNA-protein cross-links on the DNA in all cells including hippocampal neurons. The method takes advantage of the differential migration of DNA in an electric field due to differences in amount of DNA...
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Detection of DNA Breaks in Dividing Human Cells by Neutral Comet Assay05:55

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This protocol is designed to investigate the extent of DNA damage occurring during DNA replication. Under neutral conditions, the induction of DNA breaks can be readily assessed within a short time frame. Additionally, the protocol is adaptable to other cell types and various replication stress...
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The comet assay is an efficient method to detect DNA damage including single and double-stranded DNA breaks. We describe alkaline and neutral comet assays to measure DNA damage in cancer cells to evaluate the therapeutic effect of...
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A High-Throughput Comet Assay Approach for Assessing Cellular DNA Damage07:57

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The comet assay is a popular means of detecting DNA damage. This study describes an approach to running slides in representative variants of the comet assay. This approach significantly increased the number of samples while decreasing assay run-time, the number of slide manipulations, and the risk of damage to...
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Comet Assay as an Indirect Measure of Systemic Oxidative Stress08:23

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Comet assay measures DNA breaks, induced by different factors. If all factors (except oxidative stress) causing DNA damage are kept constant, the amount of DNA damage is a good indirect parameter of oxidative stress. The goal of this protocol is to use comet assay for indirect measurement of oxidative...
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In Vivo Alkaline Comet Assay and Enzyme-modified Alkaline Comet Assay for Measuring DNA Strand Breaks and Oxidative DNA Damage in Rat Liver10:38

In Vivo Alkaline Comet Assay and Enzyme-modified Alkaline Comet Assay for Measuring DNA Strand Breaks and Oxidative DNA Damage in Rat Liver

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The alkaline comet assay measures DNA strand breaks in eukaryotic cells. By adding an Endonuclease III or human 8-oxoguanine-DNA-N-glycosylase digestion step, the assay can efficiently detect oxidative DNA damage. We describe methods for using these assays to detect DNA damage in rat...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Assaying DNA Damage in Hippocampal Neurons Using the Comet Assay
10:00

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Published on: December 19, 2012

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The Comet Assay in Human Biomonitoring.

Diana Anderson1, Alok Dhawan2, Julian Laubenthal3

  • 1Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK. D.Anderson1@bradford.ac.uk.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|September 2, 2019
PubMed
Summary

Human biomonitoring uses the Comet assay to detect DNA damage from environmental exposures. This reliable biomarker predicts disease risk by measuring genomic instability in human cells.

Keywords:
Alkali-labile sitesComet assayDNA damageDouble-strand breaksSingle cell electrophoresisSingle-strand breaks

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Toxicology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Human biomonitoring identifies population exposures to toxicants.
  • Public health decision-makers use biomonitoring to predict disease risk.
  • Genomic stability is a key indicator of early biological effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the utility of the Comet assay in human biomonitoring.
  • To explain the Comet assay's role as a biomarker for genomic instability.
  • To detail the Comet assay's advantages and applications.

Main Methods:

  • The Comet assay measures DNA damage in individual cells.
  • Cells are embedded in agarose, lysed, and subjected to electrophoresis.
  • DNA fragments (Comet tails) are visualized and quantified.

Main Results:

  • The Comet assay is a sensitive, rapid, and cost-effective biomarker.
  • It is versatile, applicable to various human cells.
  • It can detect DNA breaks and assess DNA repair capacity.

Conclusions:

  • The Comet assay is a reliable biomarker for genomic instability in human biomonitoring.
  • Its simplicity and versatility make it valuable for public health.
  • It aids in predicting disease risk associated with toxicant exposure.