Mutagenic selectivity of carcinogenic nitroso compounds 2. n-methyl-N-nitrosourethane.

The mutagenicity of the carcinogen methylnitrosourethane (MNUr) was examined in Drosophila with a view to the determination of its activity on heterochromatic loci (especially rDNA) relative to those in the euchromatin. Assays were made of the yield of rDNA mutations (bobbed: bb) relative to other X-chromosome recessive lethals and visibles [X(l + v)] in the same male germ cells after treatment with different doses (1-10 mM) and at various stages in spermatogenesis. Dose dependence followed the same pattern for all genic loci and germ cell stages. In all instances, the regression of mutation frequency on injected molar dose was approximately linear, but could better be described by a quadratic dose curve. In contrast, the mutagenicity pattern during spermatogenesis varied according to the target genes. The response of the euchromatic loci reached a peak among the earlier germ cells (probably the spermatocytes), whereas that for the heterochromatic sites (including rDNA) was maximal in mature sperm. Mutagenic selectivity for rDNA with MNUr, as indicated by the percentage bb/X-mutations, was among the highest for the intrinsically reactive carcinogens (alkylating and arylating agents). This correlates with the strong carcinogenicity of MNUr and adds further support to the concept that rDNA mutations might well be a crucial step in cancer initiation.