Abstract
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 modifications 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.
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Acknowledgments
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).
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Pillco, A., de la Peña, E. (2014). Ames Test (Bacterial Reverse Mutation Test): Why, When, and How to Use. In: Sierra, L., Gaivão, I. (eds) Genotoxicity and DNA Repair. Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1068-7_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1068-7_1
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