Nondisjunction and chromosome breakage in mouse oocytes after various x-ray doses

The effect of varying X-ray doses (0.05-0.80 Gy) on preovulatory mouse oocytes was studied by measuring nondisjunction during the first meiotic division, as well as structural chromosome anomalies in ovulated oocytes at metaphase stage II. The incidence of nondisjunction (0.1% hyperploid oocytes) found in oocytes from nonirradiated NMRI-Han female mice was in accordance with the results previously obtained with the same strain. Significantly (P less than 0.05) more hyperploid oocytes (0.9%) were ovulated following irradiation with 0.8 Gy. There was no statistically significant increase of nondisjunction after low doses. Structural chromosome anomalies occurred, however, even after an irradiation dose as low as 0.05 Gy. The dose response for structural chromosome anomalies is altogether different from that of radiation-induced hyperploidy. We consider that irradiation of mature oocytes might well be less hazardous with regard to its potency for increasing nondisjunction during the first meiotic division when compared with the effect of chemical mutagens.