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U H Ehling

Publications and source records attributed to U H Ehling.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

[Quantification of chemical genetic risk].

Associated with technical advances of our civilization is the possibility of an increase of radiation- and chemically induced germ-cell mutations in man. This would result in an increase in the frequency of genetic diseases and would be detrimental to future generations. It is the duty of our generation to keep this risk as low as possible. In order to achieve this goal it is necessary to identify, evaluate and quantify the genetic risk of chemical mutagens. The possibilities and the shortcomings of the quantification of radiation- and chemically induced mutations are discussed. The discrepancy between the high safety standards for radiation protection and the low level of knowledge for the toxicological evaluation of chemicals is emphasized.

Humans↗
PubMed1989

Induction of specific-locus mutations in male mice by ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS).

Using a sequential mating procedure, the induction of specific-locus mutations by ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) was reinvestigated in male mice. Doses of 175 mg/kg b.w. and 250 mg/kg b.w. of EMS induce gene mutations in the mating intervals 5-8 and 9-12 days post treatment. However, only the frequency of dominant lethal mutations increases with the dose, not the frequency of specific-locus mutations. This observation implies that with a higher dose of EMS a larger fraction of mutagenized spermatozoa and spermatids are selectively eliminated, leading to underestimation of the specific-locus mutation yield at high doses. EMS does not induce specific-locus mutations in spermatogonia.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Germ cell mutations in mice.

The most extensive set of information on the factors affecting mutation induction by chemical mutagens in mice has been obtained by use of the dominant lethal assay and the specific locus method. Dominant lethal mutations are caused by chromosomal aberrations, and they occur shortly before or after implantation. The specific locus method can be used to detect a variety of mutational events, ranging from intralocus changes to multilocus deletions. The scoring of recessive specific locus mutations can be combined with the detection of dominant cataract mutations in mice. With these methods, the following factors that influence the induced mutation rates have been identified: differential spermatogenic response, fractionation of doses (low-dose effects), different treatment conditions (combined treatment), different strains, different sexes, and differences in the response of recessive and dominant mutations. The importance of these factors for the evaluation of chemical mutagens has not generally been appreciated in genetic toxicology. However, they are important for the risk assessment of a chemical mutagen. In addition, the induction of specific locus mutations and of inherited dominant cataract mutations or dominant mutations affecting the skeleton of mice can be used to quantify human genetic risk due to a mutagen.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

The effect of dose fractionation on the frequency of ethylnitrosourea-induced dominant cataract and recessive specific locus mutations in germ cells of the mouse.

A combined dominant cataract-recessive specific locus mutation experiment for fractionated exposure to ethylnitrosourea (2 X 80 mg/kg, 24-h fractionation interval) was designed to determine if lower doses of ethylnitrosourea are more effective in inducing dominant cataract mutations as suggested by previous results. This observation was not confirmed by the present experiment. The extensive, statistically more reliable specific locus results indicate an additive effect of fractionated ethylnitrosourea treatment. A saturable repair system for ethylnitrosourea-induced DNA damage has been previously documented (Karran et al., 1979; Sega et al., 1986; Van Zeeland et al., 1985). Two parameters inherent to a saturable system, the minimal time required for the saturated system to recover and the minimal dose to saturate the system are important, and results of experiments employing a fractionation exposure protocol must be interpreted relative to these two parameters. Longer fractionation intervals or smaller doses result in a reduced mutagenic effect. Due to the inherently lower experimental variability of the specific locus mutation assay as compared to the dominant cataract assay, the specific locus assay is the test of choice to determine factors affecting the mammalian germ cell mutation rate. The dominant cataract test requires a larger investment of experimental resources to achieve a comparable degree of accuracy. The dominant cataract mutation test is important in assessing the mutation rate to dominant alleles in germ cells of mammals. Due to the immediate expression of the mutant phenotype in newly occurring dominant mutations, a dominant mutation assay screens a genetically relevant endpoint in an assessment of the mutagenic hazard for man in mouse experiments. A multi-endpoint design screening specific locus, dominant cataract, and biochemical mutational endpoints (Ehling et al., 1985) allows a systematic comparison of mutagenic results for different classes of mutations in the same animals.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1988

Induction of specific-locus mutations in female mice by 1-ethyl-1-nitrosourea and procarbazine.

Using the specific-locus method, the ability of 1-ethyl-1-nitrosourea (ENU) and procarbazine hydrochloride (procarbazine) to induce gene mutations in mouse oocytes was tested and confirmed. The sensitive stage for the induction of mutations in oocytes with 160 mg/kg of ENU is 2-4 weeks post treatment. The induced mutation frequency in this mating interval was 5.1 X 10(-7) mutations/locus/gamete/mg/kg. The induction of mutations by procarbazine occurred 8-33 weeks after treatment. The induced mutation frequency in this mating interval for the 400 mg/kg group was 0.4 X 10(-7) mutations/locus/gamete/mg/kg. One third of the induced mutations was lethal in homozygous condition in both experiments. ENU and procarbazine have a lower mutational response in oocytes than in stem-cell spermatogonia.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Induction of specific-locus and dominant-lethal mutations by cyclophosphamide and combined cyclophosphamide-radiation treatment in male mice.

Cyclophosphamide is the most widely used antineoplastic agent. It is also used to condition patients for bone-marrow transplantations. Because of the general interest of this compound we initiated a systematic study of the induction of dominant-lethal and specific-locus mutations in male mice. In addition, we investigated the induction of specific-locus mutations by the combined treatment of cyclophosphamide and ionizing radiation. A dose of 40 mg/kg bw of cyclophosphamide caused dominant-lethal mutations in male mice only in the 1st and 2nd week after treatment. A dose of 120 mg/kg induced dominant-lethal mutations in the mating intervals 1-21 days posttreatment. No dominant lethal mutations were observed after the 3rd week. The same differential spermatogenic response was observed for the induction of specific-locus mutations. Cyclophosphamide induced recessive mutations exclusively in spermatozoa and spermatids. No mutations were recovered from treated spermatocytes and spermatogonia. In contrast to cyclophosphamide, radiation induces specific-locus mutations in all germ-cell stages. The pretreatment with cyclophosphamide 24 h before radiation enhanced the frequency of specific-locus mutations in spermatogonia. The distribution of the observed mutations among the 7 loci and their viability supports the hypothesis that these mutations were induced by radiation rather than by cyclophosphamide. The compound causes an immediate inhibition of DNA and RNA synthesis in spermatogonia. The inhibition very likely interferes with the repair process. The disturbance of the repair process is probably the cause of the synergistic effect for the induction of specific-locus mutations in spermatogonia of mice after pretreatment with cyclophosphamide 24 h before irradiation.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Induction of specific-locus and dominant-lethal mutations in male mice by diethyl sulfate (DES).

Diethyl sulfate (DES), a monofunctional alkylating agent, induces mutations and chromosomal aberrations in many different organisms and cell systems, including dominant-lethal mutations in male mice. However, until now it could not be demonstrated that DES induces specific-locus mutations in mice. This observation would contradict the close correlation observed between the induction of dominant-lethal mutations and specific-locus mutations in mice with other chemicals. DES induces dominant-lethal and specific-locus mutations in spermatozoa and late spermatids of mice. The mutation frequency for dominant-lethal mutations is dose-dependent, while for specific-locus mutations it is independent of the dose. In the mating interval 5-8 days post-treatment the mutation frequency for 200 mg/kg DES is 17.0 X 10(-5) and for 300 mg/kg 7.5 X 10(-5) mutations per locus. The dose-dependent increase of dominant-lethal mutations probably reduced the chance of recovering specific-locus mutations. The importance of these findings for mutagenicity testing is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Quantification of the genetic risk of environmental mutagens.

Screening methods are used for hazard identification. Assays for heritable mutations in mammals are used for the confirmation of short-term test results and for the quantification of the genetic risk. There are two main approaches in making genetic risk estimates. One of these, termed the direct method, expresses risk in terms of the expected frequency of genetic changes induced per unit dose. The other, referred to as the doubling dose method or the indirect method, expresses risk in relation to the observed incidence of genetic disorders now present in man. The indirect method uses experimental data only for the calculation of the doubling dose. The quality of the risk estimation depends on the assumption of persistence of the induced mutations and the ability to determine the current incidence of genetic diseases. The difficulties of improving the estimates of current incidences of genetic diseases or the persistence of the genes in the population led us to the development of an alternative method, the direct estimation of the genetic risk. The direct estimation uses experimental data for the induced frequency for dominant mutations in mice. For the verification of these quantifications one can use the data of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. According to the estimation with the direct method, one would expect less than 1 radiation-induced dominant cataract in 19,000 children with one or both parents exposed. The expected overall frequency of dominant mutations in the first generation would be 20-25, based on radiation-induced dominant cataract mutations. It is estimated that 10 times more recessive than dominant mutations are induced. The same approaches can be used to determine the impact of chemical mutagens.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Radiation-induced forward and reverse specific locus mutations and dominant cataract mutations in treated strain BALB/c and DBA/2 male mice.

Strain BALB/c and DBA/2 mice were chosen to investigate the effects of genetic background on the radiation-induced mutation rate since they exhibit differences in their radiation sensitivity. Males were exposed to 3 + 3-Gy X-irradiation and mated to untreated specific locus Test-stock females. Offspring resulting from treated spermatogonia were screened for induced specific locus forward and reverse mutations and dominant cataract mutations. Since BALB/c mice are homozygous brown and albino, specific locus forward mutations could be screened at 5 of the 7 specific loci (a, d, se, p, s), while reverse mutations could be screened at the b and c loci. Strain DBA/2 is homozygous non-agouti, brown and dilute. Therefore, specific locus forward mutations could be screened at 4 loci (c, se, p, s) and reverse mutations were screened at the a, b and d loci. Results indicate no effect of genetic background on the sensitivity to mutation induction of specific locus forward mutations, while for the dominant cataract alleles strain DBA/2 exhibited a higher mutation rate than either strain BALB/c or similarly treated (101/El X C3H/El)F1 mice. If, by confirmation, these differences should be demonstrated to be real, it is interesting that strain DBA/2 should exhibit a greater sensitivity to radiation-induced dominant mutations. First, strain DBA/2 was chosen as radiation resistant or repair competent. The observation that DBA/2 exhibited a higher sensitivity to radiation-induced mutation may indicate a role for repair, albeit misrepair, in the mutation process. Second, that the effect of genotype was only observed for the mutation rate to dominant cataract alleles may reflect a difference in the spectrum of DNA alterations which result in dominant or recessive alleles. A dominant allele is more likely misinformation, such that as heterozygote it interferes with the wild-type allele. By comparison, a recessive allele may result from any DNA alteration leading to the loss of a functional gene product. One reverse mutation at each of the a and d loci was recovered in the present experiments. The similarities of the present results for radiation-induced reverse mutations with the extensive data on the spontaneous reverse mutation rates are interesting. Reverse mutations were recovered only at the a and d loci. Further, the reverse mutations recovered at the a locus were to alternate alleles (at, Aw or Asy) while true reverse mutations were apparently recovered at the d locus.

Abnormalities, Radiation-Induced↗
PubMed1987

[Quantification of radiation-induced genetic risk].

Associated with technical advances of our civilization is a radiation- and chemically-induced increase in the germ cell mutation rate in man. This would result in an increase in the frequency of genetic diseases and would be detrimental to future generations. It is the duty of our generation to keep this risk as low as possible. The estimation of the radiation-induced genetic risk of human populations is based on the extrapolation of results from animal experiments. Radiation-induced mutations are stochastic events. The probability of the event depends on the dose; the degree of the damage does not. The different methods to estimate the radiation-induced genetic risk will be discussed. The accuracy of the predicted results will be evaluated by a comparison with the observed incidence of dominant mutations in offspring born to radiation exposed survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. These methods will be used to predict the genetic damage from the fallout of the reactor accident at Chernobyl. For the exposure dose we used the upper limits of the mean effective life time equivalent dose from the fallout values in the Munich region. According to the direct method for the risk estimation we will expect for each 100 to 500 spontaneous dominant mutations one radiation-induced mutation in the first generation. With the indirect method we estimate a ratio of 100 dominant spontaneous mutations to one radiation-induced dominant mutation. The possibilities and the limitations of the different methods to estimate the genetic risk will be discussed. The discrepancy between the high safety standards for radiation protection and the low level of knowledge for the toxicological evaluation of chemical mutagens will be emphasized.

Accidents↗
PubMed1986

Induction of gene mutations in mice: the multiple endpoint approach.

The multiple endpoint mammalian mutagenesis approach developed in our institute screens in the same animal for recessive specific locus alleles at 7 loci, approximately 30 loci coding for dominant cataract mutations, 23 loci controlling protein-charge changes and 12 loci for enzyme-activity alterations. Experiments to screen for the approximately 70 loci in the same offspring of treated male mice were performed with ethylnitrosourea (ENU), procarbazine and X-rays. Mutations were recovered for each genetic endpoint in all treatment groups where a sufficient number of offspring was scored. The observed per locus mutation rate for the different genetic endpoints after spermatogonial treatment with 250 mg/kg ENU was 93.6 X 10(-5) for specific locus mutations, 66.0 X 10(-5) for enzyme-activity mutations, 6.1 X 10(-5) for dominant cataract mutations, and 3.1 X 10(-5) for protein-charge mutations. In all experiments the mutation rates to specific locus and enzyme-activity alleles were higher than the mutation rates to either dominant cataract or protein-charge alleles. The mutations were confirmed by breeding tests.

Animals↗