R. Rao, A. Natarajan
Apr 1, 1965
Citations
1
Influential Citations
35
Citations
Journal
Mutation research
Abstract
Abstract Mutagenicity of methyl methanesulfonate, methyl ethanesulfonate, ethyl methanesulfonate, ethyl ethanesulfonate, n -propyl methanesulfonate and n -butyl methanesulfonate was studied in barley in relation to chromosomal aberrations, seedling injury and seed fertility. The difference between the lethal dose and a potent mutagenic dose was very narrow for all the chemicals. Methylating agents induced a higher frequency of chromosome aberrations both at mitosis and meiosis in comparison to the other agents tested. In contrast to this, the sterility induced by the methylating agents was less, and this has been suggested as being due to the elimination of aberrant cells during development. Highest chlorophyll (11.9%) and viable (5.9%) mutation rates on the M 2 plant basis were obtained with ethyl methanesulfonate. Ethylating agents were highly mutagenic. A distinct difference could not be observed between propylating and butylating agents with regard to their mutagenicity. Methylating agents were less mutagenic and more toxic than the other agents used in this study. But on an equimolar basis methylating agents induced a higher mutation rate than the other agents tested. The proportion of viable mutations was found to vary both between different chemicals and within a chemical, the proportion increasing with the increase in the total mutation rate. The non-alkylating moiety was found to play no significant role in the induction of mutations.