METHOD FOR ENUMERATING EUKARYOTIC CELL MICRONUCLEI WITH AN EMPHASIS ON SIMULTANEOUSLY ACQUIRING CYTOTOXICITY AND MODE OF ACTION INFORMATION

摘要

The present invention relates a method for the enumeration of eukaryotic cell micronuclei, while simultaneously acquiring cytotoxicity and mode of action information. The method utilizes differential labeling of chromatin from dead and dying cells to distinguish the chromatin from micronuclei, nuclei, and metaphase chromosomes, and differential labeling of metaphase events to provide additional information regarding cytotoxicity and genotoxic modes of action. Counting of micronuclei events relative to the number of nuclei and quantifying perturbations to the proportion of metaphase events can be used to assess the DNA-damaging potential of a chemical agent, the DNA-damaging potential of a physical agent, the effects of an agent which can modify endogenously-induced DNA damage, the effects of an agent which can modify exogenously-induced DNA damage, and genotoxic mode of action.