( Reliable Assessment of Micronuclei...)Reliable Assessment of Micronuclei for Genotoxicity Testing in Mice or Rats

Precise and cost-effective micronucleus analysis made easy with the icroFlow Micronucleus Analysis Kit

Dorothea K. Torous Carol R. Tometsko
Litron Laboratories, Rochester, NY

Mark J. Dycaico
Stratagene

The icroFlow Micronucleus Analysis Kit provides researchers with the necessary reagents and supplies to fix peripheral blood samples on site. The kits cost includes subsequent micronucleus (MN) analyses by high-throughput flow cytometry (FCM) at Litron Laboratories. MN data are easily obtained with more precision and less cost compared to conventional methods. The kit requires no special equipment and can be used for routine analyses of peripheral blood samples from any mouse or rat strain. Additionally, by combining this FCM micronucleus assay with Stratagenes Big Blue Transgenic Rodent Mutagenesis Assay*, researchers can concurrently evaluate the clastogenic and mutagenic activities of a test compound within the same animal.

The micronucleus assay^1,2,3 is an important component of genetic toxicology screening programs throughout the world. Micronuclei are known to arise from acentric chromosome fragments and lagging whole chromosomes.^4,5 Thus, the micronucleus endpoint is capable of detecting clastogenic agents, which cause chromosome breaks, as well as aneugens, which affect the spindle apparatus and result in the loss of whole chromosomes. Erythrocytes are particularly well suited for evaluating MN events, since the nucleus of the erythroblast is expelled a few hours after the last mitosis. Consequently, micronuclei are easily recognized in this population, which is otherwise devoid of DNA.

Scientists at Litron have made significant advances with MN flow c
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