An investigation into the origins of meiotic aneuploidy using ascus analysis

Chromosome rearrangements resulting in increased aneuploid production inSordaria brevicollis

Two spontaneously arising chromosome rearrangements were isolated inSordaria brevicollisfrom one perithecium. These were detected through increased production of black spores in intercrosses of complementing buff spore colour mutants. One was a reciprocal translocation between linkage groups I and II; the other a reciprocal translocation between linkage groups II and VI. In the former case the translocation resulted in frequent non-disjunction generating black spores which were either tertiary or interchange disomics. The frequency of premature centromere division was also increased. In the case of the translocation involving linkage groups II and VI the black spores were formed as a result of adjacent-1 segregation and were probably duplication/deficiency products.

In both rearrangements the breakpoint in linkage group II was, as far as could be judged, in an identical place. This and the fact that they were isolated from a single fruiting body, suggests that the chromosome breakage event arose as a potential lesion, which replicated before the potential break was either restituted, to restore a normal chromosome, or opened, to form the rearrangements.

Comparisons of tests for aneuploidy

The fundamental problems that face us in the development of suitable assay systems for the detection of potentially aneugenic (aneuploidy-inducing) chemicals include: (a) the diversity of cellular targets and mechanisms where perturbations of structure and function may give rise to changes in chromosome number, and (b) the phylogenetic differences that exist between species in their mechanism and kinetics of cell division and their metabolic profiles. A diverse range of assay systems have been developed, which have been shown to have potential for use in the detection of either changes in chromosome number or of perturbations of the events which may be causal in the induction of aneuploidy. Chromosome number changes may be detected cytologically by karyotypic analysis, or by the use of specialised strains in which aneuploid progeny may be observed due to phenotypic differences with aneuploid parental cells or whole organisms. Techniques for the detection of cellular target modifications range from in vitro studies of tubulin polymerisation to observations of the behaviour of various cellular organelles and their fidelity of action during the division cycle. The diversity of mechanisms which may give rise to aneuploidy and the qualitative relevance of events observed in experimental organisms compared to man make it unlikely that the detection and risk assessment of the aneugenic activity of chemicals will be possible using a single assay system. Optimal screening and assessment procedures will thus be dependent upon the selection of an appropriate battery of predictive tests for the measurement of the potentially damaging effects of aneuploidy induction.

The efficacy of Neurospora in detecting agents that cause aneuploidy

A total of 110 agents, 109 chemicals plus gamma-rays, has been tested in a Neurospora pseudowild-type selection system for their ability to induce meiotic aneuploidy. 11 agents were positive, 47 were negative, and 52 were inconclusively tested. The system has a possible role as a short-term test for environmental agents causing human aneuploidy. The advantages of the system are its simplicity and ease of use. Disadvantages are its high variability of aneuploid frequency and an inability to distinguish mechanisms of aneuploidy.

Dimethylsulfoxide induces aneuploidy in a fungal test system

Errors in chromosome segregation leading to numerical anomalies appear to be unusually frequent in Man and consequently a large proportion of conceptions in our species are aneuploid. Concern has been expressed that this frequency may be increased still further following exposure to inducing substances (trisomigens) present in the environment. We have been developing a fungal test system to screen for such trisomigens and in this paper we report its use in detecting induction following exposure to dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). In our system DMSO induces segregational errors at both the first and second meiotic division. The results also show that increases in aneuploidy are proportional to the underlying spontaneous frequency. If this finding is generally true it will be especially important to avoid exposure to trisomigens as Man might be especially vulnerable to them.