Sobels F H, Vogel E
Mutat Res. 1976 Nov 1;41(1 spel. no):95-106. doi: 10.1016/0027-5107(76)90079-8.
For the detection and study of mutagenic agents, Drosophila offers many advantages. It is a higher organism with a short generation time that is cheap and easy to breed in large numbers. The simple genetic testing methods provide unequivocal answers about the whole spectrum of relevant genetic damage. A comparison of the detection capacity of assays sampling different kinds of genetic damage revealed that various substances are highly effective in inducing mutations, but do not produce chromosome breakage effects at all, or only at much higher concentrations than those required for mutation induction. Of the different assay systems available, the classical sex-linked recessive lethal test thus deserves priority, in view of its superior capacity to detect mutagens. Of practical importance is also its high sensitivity, because a large number of loci in one-fifth of the genome is tested for newly induced forward mutations, including small deletions. Drosophila is capable of carrying out the same metabolic activation reactions as the mammalian liver. An additional advantage, in this respect, is the capacity of Drosophila for detecting short-lived activation products, because intracellular activation occurs within the spermatids ans spermatocytes. These properties make the test for recessive sex-linked lethals a useful tool for verifying results obtained in the pre-screening of potential mutagens with fast microbial assay systems. In studies on non-disjunction, detailed genetic analysis of the induced changes is possible, and these may shed light on the mechanisms involved. A new adaptation of the bithorax transvection method by Mendelson permits the recovery of high yields of chromosome aberrations in a fast one-generation test.
对于诱变剂的检测和研究，果蝇具有许多优势。它是一种高等生物，世代时间短，价格低廉且易于大量繁殖。简单的基因检测方法能对整个相关基因损伤谱给出明确答案。对采样不同类型基因损伤的检测方法的检测能力进行比较发现，各种物质在诱导突变方面非常有效，但根本不会产生染色体断裂效应，或者仅在比诱导突变所需浓度高得多的情况下才会产生。鉴于其检测诱变剂的卓越能力，在现有的不同检测系统中，经典的性连锁隐性致死试验因此值得优先考虑。其高灵敏度也具有实际重要性，因为在基因组的五分之一中大量位点被检测是否有新诱导的正向突变，包括小缺失。果蝇能够进行与哺乳动物肝脏相同的代谢激活反应。在这方面的另一个优势是果蝇能够检测短寿命的激活产物，因为细胞内激活发生在精子细胞和精母细胞内。这些特性使性连锁隐性致死试验成为验证使用快速微生物检测系统对潜在诱变剂进行预筛选所获得结果的有用工具。在关于不分离的研究中，可以对诱导变化进行详细的遗传分析，这些分析可能会揭示其中涉及的机制。Mendelson对双胸转座方法的新改进使得在快速的一代试验中能够获得高产率的染色体畸变。
