Marco Rizzoni

MECHANISMS OF FIXATION AND ACCUMULATION OF CENTRIC FUSIONS IN NATURAL POPULATIONS OF MUS MUSCULUS L. I. KARYOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF A HYBRID ZONE BETWEEN TWO POPULATIONS IN THE CENTRAL APENNINES

Chromosomal mutations causing partial sterility of the heterozygote are decisive in speciation processes in animals of limited vagility (e.g., Orthoptera and small mammals). In this regard the stasipatric speciation model (production of a heterozygous mutant, fixation in a small colony and subsequent spread of the homozygous mutant population) was proposed (see White, 1968, 1973, 1975, 1977), as opposed to the hypothesis of allopatric speciation (e.g., Key, 1974). Rodents offer several suitable characteristics for this type of study: 1) A variety of chromosomal rearrangements are involved: pericentric inversions, as in Spalax (Soldatovic and Savic, 1967; Wahrman et al., 1969; Lay and Nadler, 1972), Thomomys (Patton and Dingman, 1970), Perognathus (Patton, 1969), Peromyscus (Hsu and Arrighi, 1968) and, above all, centric fusions-and to a lesser extent, fissions-in Spalax (Wahrman et al., 1969; Lay and Nadler, 1972), Thomomys (Thaeler, 1968a; Nevo et al., 1974), Perognathus (Patton, 1969), Gerbillus (Wahrman and Gourevitz, 1973), Acomys (Wahrman and Goitein, 1972), Geomys (Selander et al., 1974) and Leggada (Matthey, 1970). 2) Different steps in the speciation process are evident: among different species of the same genus, among sibling species, among incipient species and among interbreeding populations. In Thomomys (Thaeler, 1968a, 1968b; Patton and Dingman, 1970;

An intergrated approach to the assessment of the environmental quality of the Tiber river in the urban area of Rome: A mutagenesis assay (micronucleus test) and an analysis of macrobenthic community structure

Abstract Our aim was to study the environmental pollution of the river Tiber within the urban area of Rome. We studied both the stress of the macrobenthic communities, described by density (calculated as animal biomass) and diversity (calculated with the Shannon index), and the mutagenic effects of waters and sediments, using the micronucleus test in root tips of Vicia faba . Four places (stations) were studied: (1) Castel Giubileo, at the entry of the urban area; (2) Ponte Tor di Quinto, immediately after the confluence of the tributary river Aniene; (3) Ponte Matteotti, at the entry of the historical city center; and (4) Ponte Sublicio, in the middle of the city center. Samples were collected in spring (May, 1989) with an intermediate pollution level, winter (January 1990) with a low one, and late summer (September 1990) with a high one. There is agreement between the environmental damage, measured by diversity of macrobenthic community, and the mutagenic effect of media (water and sediments), identified by micronuclei: while Castel Giubileo shows an acceptable condition in all the seasons, and Ponte Sublicio a bad one, the intermediate stations show a recovery in January.

Induction of micronuclei in Vicia faba root tips treated with heavy metals (cadmium and chromium) in the presence of NTA

Soluble metal compounds (CdCl2, K2Cr2O7) significantly increase the frequency of micronucleated cells in Vicia faba root tips with a clear dose-effect relationship. The addition of NTA (nitrilotriacetic acid) does not enhance the induction of micronucleated cells. Conversely, insoluble metal compounds (CdCO3, PbCRO4) significantly enhance the frequency of micronucleated cells only in the presence of NTA. Since some genotoxic metals are diffused in the environment and are often sequestered as insoluble precipitates in water sediments and sludges, the introduction of NTA is likely to increase the risk of environmental pollution because of its ability to solubilize and make those metals reactive.

Indirect mitotic nondisjunction in Vicia faba and Chinese hamster cells

The hypothesis of indirect mitotic nondisjunction was tested in plant and mammalian cells. This hypothesis states that micronuclei derived from lagging chromosomes or chromatids are able to perform DNA synthesis and undergo mitotic condensation synchronously with main nuclei. Hence, as chromosomes, they can be moved to spindle poles together with the chromosomes of the main nuclei during mitosis. In that way chromosomes “lost” as micro-nuclei can be reincorporated in the main nuclei. In order to test this, both Vicia faba meristematic cells and cells of a Chinese hamster line (Cl-1) were treated with low doses of colchicine. Mitotic anomalies, micronuclei and cells with a polyploid or aneuploid karyotype were scored at different fixation times. A detailed analysis was performed on single chromosome misdistributions, as well as on micronuclei and cells with aneuploid karyotypes derived from single chromosome misdistributions. Indirect mitotic nondisjunction was shown to play a primary role in the origin of aneuploid karyotypes in Vicia faba, but not in Cl-1 cells.

Euploid segregation through multipolar mitosis in mammalian cell cultures

Cultures were made of kidney cells of male Rhesus monkey and a karyological analysis of these cells was carried out at various times after plating using the chromosome banding method of Seabringht (1972), in order to study the segregation phenomena which take place in cell cultures in vitro through multipolar mitoses and to identify segregating cells. — Several segregating cells were found: haploid cells, diploid cells with two X chromosomes and triploid cells which were strictly euploid. Polyploidization-segregation cycles in the cell cultures and their mechanism and chronological sequence were analyzed. — On the basis of these results it was suggested that the genome is organized in haploid sets capable of segregating as units and of producing strictly euploid segregating daughter cells.

Exposure to 915 MHz radiation induces micronuclei in Vicia faba root tips

The increasing use of mobile phones and wireless networks raised a great debate about the real carcinogenic potential of radiofrequency-electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure associated with these devices. Conflicting results are reported by the great majority of in vivo and in vitro studies on the capability of RF-EMF exposure to induce DNA damage and mutations in mammalian systems. Aimed at understanding whether less ambiguous responses to RF-EMF exposure might be evidenced in plant systems with respect to mammalian ones, in the present work the mutagenic effect of RF-EMF has been studied through the micronucleus (MN) test in secondary roots of Vicia faba seedlings exposed to mobile phone transmission in controlled conditions, inside a transverse electro magnetic (TEM) cell. Exposure of roots was carried out for 72h using a continuous wave (CW) of 915 MHz radiation at three values of equivalent plane wave power densities (23, 35 and 46W/m(2)). The specific absorption rate (SAR) was measured with a calorimetric method and the corresponding values were found to fall in the range of 0.4-1.5W/kg. Results of three independent experiments show the induction of a significant increase of MN frequency after exposure, ranging from a 2.3-fold increase above the sham value, at the lowest SAR level, up to a 7-fold increase at the highest SAR. These findings are in agreement with the limited number of data on cytogenetic effects detected in other plant systems exposed to mobile phone RF-EMF frequencies and clearly show the capability of radiofrequency exposure to induce DNA damage in this eukaryotic cell system.

Populational interactions among underdominant chromosome rearrangements help them to persist in small demes

Populational interactions among unlinked chromosomal rearrangements with partial heterozygote sterility and multiplicative fitness were studied to verify whether they help such rearrangements to persist in small populations, in spite of a considerable migration rate with a large population. A deterministic island‐continent model was studied by exact recurrence relations connecting gametic frequencies in successive generations.

Banding patterns of the chromosomes of the Rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta)

Abstract The Rhesus monkey ( Macaca mulatta ) has 21 pairs of chromosomes, many of which can easily be confused with one another by the traditional staining methods. By using the method of banding with trypsin (Seabright, 1971) we have been able to characterize the various pairs of homologous chromosomes and we have classified them by following the criteria adopted by Rothfels & Siminovich (1958) . The evolutionary meaning of the results are discussed.

Ground and surface water for drinking: a laboratory study on genotoxicity using plant tests

Surface waters are increasingly utilized for drinking water because groundwater sources are often polluted. Several monitoring studies have detected the presence of mutagenicity in drinking water, especially from surface sources due to the reaction of natural organic matter with disinfectant. The study aimed to investigate the genotoxic potential of the products of reaction between humic substances, which are naturally present in surface water, and three disinfectants: chlorine dioxide, sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid. Commercial humic acids dissolved in distilled water at different total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations were studied in order to simulate natural conditions of both ground water (TOC=2.5 mg/L) and surface water (TOC=7.5 mg/L). These solutions were treated with the biocides at a 1:1 molar ratio of C:disinfectant and tested for genotoxicity using the anaphase chromosomal aberration and micronucleus tests in Allium cepa, and the Vicia faba and Tradescantia micronucleus tests. The tests were carried out after different times and with different modes of exposure, and at 1:1 and 1:10 dilutions of disinfected and undisinfected humic acid solutions. A genotoxic effect was found for sodium hypochlorite in all plant tests, at both TOCs considered, while chlorine dioxide gave positive results only with the A.cepa tests. Some positive effects were also detected for PAA (A.cepa and Tradescantia). No relevant differences were found in samples with different TOC values. The significant increase in all genotoxicity end-points induced by all tested disinfectants indicates that a genotoxic potential is exerted even in the presence of organic substances at similar concentrations to those frequently present in drinking water.

Chromosome Studies on Polyploid Cell Strains of Chinese Hamster V: Banding Pattern

SUMMARYThe authors have examined the « banding pattern », revealed by the Seabright method (1972), of chromosomes of an aneuploid-diploid line (C-125) and of certain lines of various degrees of ploidy derived from it. It was found that the line C-125 has preserved a large proportion of normal chromosomes, similar to those of the species, some in a diploid and others in a haploid condition.Analysis of the degree of homology of the chromosomes confirmed that, in the derived polyploid lines, part of the genome is in a triploid condition (Oliveri et al. 1972) even if in some cases only parts of the chromosome are in a triploid condition as a result of deletions. This last type of chromosome rearrangement is the one that has had the greatest importance in the evolution of the karyogram of the induced polyploid lines. The results are discussed in relation to problems of « dosage compensation ».