Employees of the B. P. Konstantinov Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, part of the National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute," have created a test kit for analyzing air, soil, and water for pollutants (xenobiotics) that can cause mutations.
The list of xenobiotics includes substances such as pesticides, plastics, and pharmaceutical waste. They can be found in air, soil, water bodies, and wastewater. These polluting compounds are dangerous because they can cause genetic mutations.
To assess the potential harm of these substances, special laboratory tests are needed to determine their ability to interact with DNA. This is important for predicting changes in the ecological situation.
The authors proposed using yeast as the basis for the new solution, which mutates under the influence of toxins. Unlike the traditional laboratory assessment method based on the bacterial Ames test, the new approach does not require the use of multiple pathogenic bacterial strains and a complex activating mixture.
Scientific staff at NRC "Kurchatov Institute" - PNPI have created a new test strain based on non-pathogenic saccharomycete yeasts. According to researchers, it is highly sensitive, not inferior to known test strains, and its test kit is easier to use and more economical.
Scientists have created a unique combination of Saccharomyces cerevisiae 1-TAE-1 yeast and nutrient medium. Under normal conditions, these yeasts are red. However, if mutations occur in the cells under the influence of a toxin, they lose their color and become white.
The strain we selected fixes all classes of mutations in five target genes that control adenine synthesis, which greatly increases the sensitivity of the method.
The developed solution can be used in various laboratories, as well as for mass surveys. This result was achieved during the implementation of the program for the development of a world-class genomic research center "Kurchatov Genomic Center."
Earlier, the company "Zelenograd Nanotechnology Center", which is part of "Rosnano", presented a unique photonic integrated circuit. This development is intended for use in the aerospace and oil and gas industries.
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