A yeast-based cytotoxicity and genotoxicity assay for

0,31

MB

environmental monitoring using novel portable instrumentation

9

stron

1750

ID

University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology

2004

rok

An assay capable of simultaneously measuring both general toxicity and more subtle genotoxicity,

in aqueous environmental samples, is described. The assay uses eukaryotic (yeast) cells,

genetically modified to express a green fluorescent protein (GFP) whenever DNA damage, as a

result of exposure to genotoxic agents, is repaired. A measure of the reduction in cell proliferation is

used to characterise general toxicity producing familiar EC50 and LOEC data. The assay protocol

has been developed for proposed use in the field and hence employs dedicated, portable

instrumentation, the development of which is described. A range of environmentally relevant

substances has been evaluated using the assay, including solutions of metal ions, solvents and

pesticides. Preliminary data comparing the yeast assay’s response to that of a standard Daphnia

test in the analysis of the toxicity of 34 varied industrial waste effluents are also presented. The

sensitivity to a wide range of substances and effluents suggests the assay should be useful for

environmental toxicity monitoring.