Differences in the effectiveness of EDTA to induce SCEs and chromosomal aberrations in CHO and Allium cepa chromosomes.

The chelating agent EDTA was able to produce chromosome aberrations (CA) in CHO cells when it was administered simultaneously with BrdUrd (2 x 10(-5) M), without any concomitant effect on the yield of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs). Root meristematic cells of Allium cepa did not show any type of CA when they were treated with different doses of EDTA (with or without BrdUrd 10(-4) M) while the SCE frequency was increased in a dose-dependent fashion. These effects of EDTA have not been previously reported. It is suggested that deprivation of divalent cations (Ca(+)+/Mg(+)+) probably play an important role in DNA replication and repair processes.