Application of the SCGE Assay for Detecting Induced DNA Damage in Plant Leaves

  • Published : 2003.11.01

Abstract

The possibility of using the alkaline protocol of the single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay as a method for detecting induced DNA damage has been studied for six major plants. The EMS was applied as a model genotoxic agent on young excised leaves of the tested crops for 18 h at 26$^{\circ}C$ in the dark. With increasing concentrations of 0 to 10 mM EMS, the DNA damage, expressed by the averaged median tail moment values, significantly increased in nuclei of all plants studied. As the results, no correlation between the diameter of nuclei and sensitivity to EMS treatment was observed. The data obtained demonstrate the feasibility of using the SCGE assay for detecting induced DNA damage in plants.

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