NUCLEAR AND NONNUCLEAR TARGETS OF GENOTOXIC AGENTS IN THE INDUCTION OF GENE-EXPRESSION - SHARED PRINCIPLES IN YEAST, RODENTS, MAN AND PLANTS

The interplay between environmental cues and the genetic response is d ecisive for the development, health and well-being of an organism. For some environmental factors a narrow margin separates beneficial and t oxic impacts, With the increasing exposure to UV-B this dichotomy has reached public attention. This review will be concerned with the mecha nisms that mediate a cellular genetic response to noxious agents. The toxic stimuli find access to the regulatory network inside cells by in teracting at several points with cellular molecules - a process that c onverts the 'outside information' into 'cellular language'. As a conse quence of such interactions, many adverse agents cause massive signal transduction and changes of gene expression, There is an interesting c onservation of the mechanisms from yeast to man. An understanding of t he genetic programs and of their phenotypic consequences is lagging be hind.