Genetically Engineered Bacteria for Genotoxicity Assessment

Mutagenicity test using Vibrio harveyi in the assessment of water quality from mussel farms

This work analyses the mutagenicity of seawater from mussel farms using the Vibrio harveyi mutagenicity test and its relationship with the accumulated pollutants and the development of gonadal neoplasia in mussels. Histological disorders identified as germinoma were observed in the gonad of Mytilus galloprovincialis during the period of study. The prevalence of this pathology is significantly correlated with certain levels of pollutants accumulated in mussels, mainly of PAHs and PCBs, whose toxic equivalents were calculated as EROD induction equivalency. The mutagenicity and toxicity of the water surrounding mussel's farms is clearly correlated with the pollutants accumulated and with the neoplasia prevalence in mussels. Such correlations are corroborated by a multivariate analysis. Our results conclude with the utility of V. harveyi test as an optimal and rapid method in the monitoring of the quality of the water from mussel farms and as a tool to control the risks of pollution on mussel production and its safety for human food.

Microbial genotoxicity bioreporters based on sulA activation

A bacterial genotoxicity reporter strain was constructed in which the tightly controlled strong promoter of the Escherichia coli SOS response gene sulA was fused to the alkaline phosphatase-coding phoA reporter gene. The bioreporter responded in a dose-dependent manner to three model DNA-damaging agents-hydrogen peroxide, nalidixic acid (NA), and mitomycin C (MMC)-detected 30-60 min after exposure. Detection thresholds were 0.15 μM for MMC, 7.5 μM for nalidixic acid, and approximately 50 μM for hydrogen peroxide. A similar response to NA was observed when the bioreporter was integrated into a specially designed, portable electrochemical detection platform. Reporter sensitivity was further enhanced by single and double knockout mutations that enhanced cell membrane permeability (rfaE) and inhibited DNA damage repair mechanisms (umuD, uvrA). The rfaE mutants displayed a five- and tenfold increase in sensitivity to MMC and NA, respectively, while the uvrA mutation was advantageous in the detection of hydrogen peroxide. A similar sensitivity was displayed by the double rfaE/uvrA mutant when challenged with the pre-genotoxic agents 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline and 2-aminoanthracene following metabolic activation with an S9 mammalian liver fraction.

Bacterial genotoxicity bioreporters

Ever since the introduction of the Salmonella typhimurium mammalian microsome mutagenicity assay (the ‘Ames test’) over three decades ago, there has been a constant development of additional genotoxicity assays based upon the use of genetically engineered microorganisms. Such assays rely either on reversion principles similar to those of the Ames test, or on promoter–reporter fusions that generate a quantifiable dose‐dependent signal in the presence of potential DNA damaging compounds and the induction of repair mechanisms; the latter group is the subject of the present review. Some of these assays were only briefly described in the scientific literature, whereas others have been developed all the way to commercial products. Out of these, only one, the umu‐test, has been fully validated and ISO‐ and OECD standardized. Here we review the main directions undertaken in the construction and testing of bacterial‐based genotoxicity bioassays, including the attempts to incorporate at least a partial metabolic activation capacity into the molecular design. We list the genetic modifications introduced into the tester strains, compare the performance of the different assays, and briefly describe the first attempts to incorporate such bacterial reporters into actual genotoxicity testing devices.