FACTORS AFFECTING THE PRODUCTION OF CHROMOSOME ABERRATIONS BY CHEMICALS

In the present paper, the results of a study on the influence of temperature, hydrogen ion concentration, and oxygen tension on the production of chromosome aberrations in Vicia root tips by maleic hydrazide (MH), di-(2, 3-epoxypropyl)ether (DEPE), and 8-ethoxycaffeine (EOC), are described. Variations in the hydrogen ion concentration of the treatment solutions did not significantly influence the effect of EOC and DEPE. In contrast, the MH effect was considerably diminished by raising the pH from 4.7 to 7.3. A marked increase in the frequencies of aberrations produced by DEPE and MH was obtained by raising the temperature from 3° to 25°C. The effect of EOC increased with rising temperature up to 12°C. With a further rise in temperature the effect of EOC decreased, so that at 25°C. it was of about the same magnitude as at 3°C. The effect of EOC was completely inhibited, and that of MH partly so, when during the treatment (1) oxygen was excluded from the solution, (2) respiration was inhibited by azide or cyanide, or (3) phosphorylation was uncoupled from respiration by 2, 4-dinitrophenol (DNP). Pretreatments with DNP had a similar effect, but posttreatments did not influence the frequencies of aberrations. The effect of DEPE was unchanged by anoxia. Pre- or posttreatments with DNP did not change the total number of aberrations produced by DEPE, but the appearance of the effect was considerably delayed. The results are discussed.