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Characterization of a method for quantitating food consumption for mutation assays in Drosophila
Author(s) -
Thompson E. D.,
Reeder B. A.,
Bruce R. D.,
Lee W. R.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
environmental and molecular mutagenesis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1098-2280
pISSN - 0893-6692
DOI - 10.1002/em.2850180104
Subject(s) - drosophila (subgenus) , lethality , biology , toxicology , mutagenesis , food consumption , mutagen , toxicity , vial , bioassay , mutation , food science , genetics , chemistry , gene , carcinogen , organic chemistry , agricultural economics , economics
Quantitation of food consumption is necessary when determining mutation responses to multiple chemical exposures in the sex‐linked recessive lethal assay in Drosophila. One method proposed for quantitating food consumption by Drosophila is to measure the incorporation of 14 C‐leucine into the flies during the feeding period (Thompson and Reeder: Environmental Mutagenesis 10:357–365, 1987). Three sources of variation in the technique of Thompson and Reeder have been identified and characterized. First, the amount of food consumed by individual flies differed by almost 30% in a 24 hr feeding period. Second, the variability from vial to vial (each containing multiple flies) was around 15%. Finally, the amount of food consumed in identical feeding experiments performed over the course of 1 year varied nearly 2‐fold. The use of chemical consumption values in place of exposure levels provided a better means of expressing the combined mutagenic response. In addition, the kinetics of food consumption over a 3 day feeding period for exposures to cyclophosphamide which produce lethality were compared to non‐lethal exposures. Extensive characterization of lethality induced by exposures to cyclophosphamide demonstrate that the lethality is most likely due to starvation, not chemical toxicity.