The comet assay applied to microorganisms and plants: Methods and problems

The best experimental conditions for Aspergillus nidulans were when treatme nt with Novozim 234 was performed after the slide preparation. The comet im ages appeared in treated cells. A modified and improved SCGE on different t issues (root, stem and leaf) of Impatiens balsamina was performed using gen otoxic compounds or environmental mixtures. Our modification resulted in an increased yield of nuclei and a more uniform distribution of nuclei in the agarose layer. The system could be also useful in the estimation of genoto xicity in situ.