The Salmonella typhimurium /mammalian microsome assay is the most widely used short-term test to identify genetic damage. This is used to assess the mutagenic and antimutagenic potential of compounds and mixtures. This assay uses histidine-dependent strains to detect mutations, e.g., substitutions, additions,or deletions of one or several DNA nucleotides reverting originally changed gene sequence of the tester strains. The addition of a mutagenic chemical agent to a plate of cultured cells results in the growth of mutant colonies; the number of such colonies is an indicator of the mutagenic potency of the agent. The Ames test has many advantages, it is a very versatile assay, its different modifi cations have been developed to determine mutagenic potencies, and it is recommended by several regulatory agencies. This chapter provides a detailed description of how the standard plate incorporation method should be performed, including the experimental design and interpretation of results.

20 páginas, 2 figuras y 4 tablas. The authors express their thanks to Dr. Oscar Herrero, Dr. Eduardo de la Peña Jr., Ms. Antonia Martinez, and the Institute of Agricultural Sciences (CSIC).

Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias - CSIC

Peer reviewed