Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Measuring DNA Damage and Repair in Mouse Splenocytes After Chronic In Vivo Exposure to Very Low Doses of Beta- and Gamma-Radiation
Published on: July 3, 2015
On the expressivity of aberration hot spots after treatment with mutagens showing delayed or non-delayed effects
Abstract:
The intrachromosomal distribution patterns of chromatid aberrations induced by agents with delayed effects (as exemplified by ethanol and maleic hydrazide) were compared with those produced by agents with non-delayed effects (as exemplified by fast neutrons, X-rays and bleomycin). Despite nonrandomness of aberration distribution in all cases, the mutagens with nondelayed effects generally showed up with much less pronounced aberration hot spots than the mutagens with delayed effects. From the results obtained it is concluded that hot-spot expressivity is a characteristic "group-specific" feature of the two classes of mutagen and that aberration production during DNA replication (S-phase) by agents with delayed effects strongly favours a very pronounced aberration clustering, which is partly mutagen-specific. Possible causes of these differences with respect to hot-spot expressivity after treatment with mutagens showing non-delayed and delayed effects, respectively, are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Mismatch Repair
Nucleotide Excision Repair
Nucleotide Excision Repair
Cells are regularly exposed to mutagens—factors in the environment that can damage DNA and generate mutations. UV radiation is one of the most common mutagens and is estimated to introduce a significant number of changes in DNA. These include bends or kinks in the structure, which can block DNA replication or transcription. If these errors are not fixed, the damage can cause mutations, which in turn can result in cancer or disease depending on which sequences are...
Mismatch Repair
The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch Repair
The human genome has more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Prior to cell division, that vast amount of genetic...
Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity
Spontaneous and Induced Mutations

