PROCEDURES FOR THE DETECTION OF CHEMICALLY-INDUCED ANEUPLOIDY - RECOMMENDATIONS OF A UK ENVIRONMENTAL MUTAGEN SOCIETY WORKING GROUP

The development of assays to detect numerical chromosome aberrations h as not kept pace with that for assays used to detect other genotoxicit y endpoints such as gene mutations and structural chromosome aberratio ns, even though the importance of aneuploidy in relation to heritable defects in germ cells and to carcinogenesis in somatic cells is acknow ledged. Regulatory bodies at present have no formal requirements conce rning aneuploidy detection and decisions are made on a case-by-case ba sis. The aim of this review is to indicate which assays are available for the detection of chemically induced aneuploidy and what aspects sh ould be taken into account when testing for chemically induced aneuplo idy using in vitro, in vivo somatic and in vivo germ cell assays witho ut dictating exact protocols. Our recommendations concentrate on syste ms that, to date, have been most extensively used and we indicate wher e future developments may lie. It is important that the currently avai lable and future tests for chemically induced aneuploidy should be ade quately validated before being implemented into screening strategies o r regulatory guidelines, This requirement has not yet been met and is confounded by the lack of a well defined reference database of animal and human chemical aneugens.