The apparent decrease in thiotepa-induced chromosome aberrations in human lymphocytes caused by an effect of WR2721 on the cell cycle as found by the definitively determined division method.

Antimutagenic radioprotective compounds have been reported to decrease the yield of chemically induced chromosome aberrations even when administered long before the chemical mutagen thio-TEPA. Because thio-TEPA can induce aberrations in all parts of the cell cycle, it seemed likely that the apparent decrease in aberrations was the result of an effect of the antimutagen on the progression of cells through the cell cycle so that cells treated in the more sensitive stage would be scored. To test this possibility human lymphocytes were treated with the protective compound WR2721 and then thio-TEPA. The cells were grown in the presence of 5-bromodeoxyuridine, which allows the definitive determination of metaphases from cells that divided once, twice, or three times after treatment. The yield of aberrations observed in first division cells was the same whether or not the protector was present. A decrease in aberration yields appeared only in rapidly cycling cells that were in the second division at the time of fixation. Labeling experiments showed that in this rapidly dividing population fewer of the metaphase cells had been in G2 when thio-TEPA was added. The results indicate that part of the decrease in aberration yields obtained by treatment with an antimutagen several hours before the addition of a mutagen is an artifact of cell selection.