Assessing DNA damage in cnidarians using the Comet assay.

摘要: Abstract The assessment of DNA damage by the Comet assay has been described as a useful non-specific general biomarker stress in many marine organisms. In field situations it successfully employed to distinguish between reference and polluted sites laboratory widely used mechanistic tool determine pollutant effects mechanisms damage. To date wide range vertebrates invertebrates have used, however, usefulness this cnidarians not yet assessed. aims study were optimize for cnidarian cells assess its utility detecting genotoxic these cells. Cells isolated from North American pacific coast temperate sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima using non-enzymatic dissociation procedure viability was determined be excess 90%. incubated either with (1 h acute exposures) hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O ), ethylmethanesulphonate (EMS) or benzo(a)pyrene (B[a]P). comparison other species, exhibited high control background levels strand breaks. Despite this, we observed dose responses each chemicals no reduction cell viability. This demonstrates that respond known damaging agents, including B[a]P which requires metabolism exert effect, may prove species.