Use of DNA fingerprinting to detect genotoxic effects.

The effects of environmental pollutants on organisms may be monitored in a number of ways and at different levels. In the case of genotoxic chemicals, the effects on the DNA may be monitored using a number of biomarker assays capable of detecting phenotypic changes as a result of mutation, gross chromosomal abnormalities, unscheduled DNA synthesis, DNA adducts (e.g., by 32P postlabeling or by ELISA) and DNA strand breaks (e.g., by the alkaline unwinding assay or the comet assay); the sensitivity and specificity of these assays are variable. Recent developments in molecular biology such as DNA fingerprinting and gene amplification by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) offer new possibilities for detecting DNA damage. In this laboratory, whether an alternative biomarker assay (using DNA fingerprinting by arbitrarily primed PCR) can reveal differences in the DNA fingerprints of individuals from control and polluted areas was investigated. The results indicate that DNA fingerprinting by arbitrarily primed PCR offers a useful alternative biomarker assay for detection of the genotoxic effects of environmental pollutants.