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Radioresistance and radiosensitivity in Drosophila melanogaster

Maria Luiza Reguly; Edmundo Kanan Marques

Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Caixa Postal 1953, 90001 Porto Alegre, RS, BrasiL Send correspondence to M.L.R.

ABSTRACT

In a study of the mechanisms of radioresistance in Drosophila, we investigated the mutagenic effects of 5 kR of ⁶⁰Cobalt gamma radiation and of a 0.006 M dose of ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) on four D. melanogaster strains. Strains CO₃ and LEN showed resistance and strains RC₁ and BUE showed sensitivity to the induction of sex-linked recessive lethal mutations. Analysis of the pattern of mutation in the spermatogenesis of CO₃ (resistant) and RC ₁ (sensitive) males showed that resistance to mutation induction is limited to post-meiotic stages and also to the meiotic stage in the case of EMS.
he fact that radioresistant strains are also resistant to mutation induction by the chemical mutagen, which has a well differentiated mode of action in relation to radiation, suggests that the radioresistance of strains CO₃ and LEN is due to a general mechanism of resistance to mutation which may act during the repair stage and not during the induction of premutational damage.

Keywords: radioresistance; radiosensitivity; Drosophila melanogaster.

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