Induction of mitotic crossing over in Saccharomyces by p-Toluidine

p-Toluidine, a carcinogen for rats, does not cause genetic damage when tested directly in Saccharomyces cerevisiae; however, certain chemical derivatives of p-toluidine do induce gene conversion when tested directly. It may be suspected by analogy with other aromatic amines that p-toluidine, a monocyclic aromatic amine, requires conversion to breakdown products which are then the genetically active and carcinogenic entities. The Udenfriend hydroxylation medium, which has been used previously to show the genetic activity of certain other aromatic amines and nitrosamines, was used in the incubation of p-toluidine with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The resulting breakdown products, but not the parent compound, induced reciprocal mitotic recombination in a diploid strain D-3. Recombination was monitored by using induced homozygosity of the red ade 2 marker, and the reciprocal nature of the event was confirmed by observing the simultaneous homozygosity of two peripheral markers.