[Original molecular cytogenetic approach to determining spontaneous chromosomal mutations in the interphase cells to evaluate the mutagenic activity of environmental factors].

Standard cytogenetic methods are presently used to analyze chromosome anomalies in human somatic cells in order to evaluate the mutagenic activity of environmental factors. Their application is associated with the fact that uncultured cells cannot be analyzed. In this connection there is an urgent need to devise and introduce studies of the number and structure of interphase chromosomes. The paper describes the molecular cytogenetic approach to determining spontaneous chromosomal mutations in the interphase cells to evaluate the mutagenic activity of environmental factors, which is based on the original methods of interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and multicolor chromosome staining and on quantitative FISH and immune FISH. The proposed set of the methods has been tested examining 400000, 200000, and 1600000 embryonic, extraembryonic, and postnatal tissue cells, respectively. The analysis has yielded data on sporadic chromosomal mutations and shown that the proposed complex of the methods can be successfully used to evaluate the mutagenic activity of environmental factors leading to sporadic chromosomal mutations.