The use of transgenic mice for studying mutagenicity induced by 1,3-butadiene

The availability of in vivo transgenic mouse mutagenesis assays provides the opportunity to study the induction of mutations that reflects the integration of pharmacokinetics, biotransformation. DNA repair responses, and tissue susceptibilities. Transgenic mice containing in vivo marker genes for mutagenicity within shuttle vectors also permit the determination of the resulting mutational spectra in tissues of mice following exposure to mutagens and carcinogens. Exposure of B6C3F1 lacI transgenic mice to the rodent carcinogen 1,3-butadiene by inhalation results in an increase in the overall lacI mutant frequency in bone marrow with an increased frequency of point mutations at A:T base pairs. These studies demonstrate the utilization of transgenic mouse models for establishing linkages between exposure to carcinogens, internal tissue dose, and in vivo mutational events.