Interstitial telomeric sequences are not preferencially involved in the chromosome damage induced by the methylating compound streptozotocin in Chinese hamster ovary cells

IVANA Y. QUIROGA; NATALIA S. PAVIOLO; ALEJANDRO D. BOLZÁN

ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS

WILEY-LISS, DIV JOHN WILEY & SONS INC

Lugar: New York; Año: 2013 vol. 54 p. 147 - 152

0893-6692

The effect of the methylating compound streptozotocin(STZ) on interstitial telomeric sequences (ITSs)was investigated in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)cells by using peptide nucleic acid-fluorescence insitu hybridization with a pantelomeric probe. Cellswere exposed to increasing concentrations of STZ,and chromosomal aberrations were analyzed at thefirst mitosis after treatment. The frequency of chromosomalaberrations directly involving ITSs increasedin STZ-treated cells by a factor of 2.6 (2 mM) and3.6 (4 mM) when compared with the frequency of these aberrations in control cells (P < 0.05).However, no significant differences were foundbetween control and exposed cells in the percentageof aberrations directly involving ITSs, demonstratingthat these repeat regions were not preferentiallyinvolved in the chromosome damage inducedby STZ. In addition, STZ did not alter telomerase activity,suggesting that this enzyme may not beinvolved in the induction of chromosomal aberrationsby this compound.