Heavy Metal-Induced Oxidative DNA Damage in Earthworms: A Review

Earthworms can be used as a bio-indicator of metal contamination in soil, Earlier reports claimed the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in earthworm tissues, while the metal-induced mutagenicity reared in contaminated soils for long duration. But we examined the metal-induced mutagenicity in earthworm...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Takeshi Hirano, Kazuyoshi Tamae
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2010-01-01
Series:Applied and Environmental Soil Science
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/726946
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Summary:Earthworms can be used as a bio-indicator of metal contamination in soil, Earlier reports claimed the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in earthworm tissues, while the metal-induced mutagenicity reared in contaminated soils for long duration. But we examined the metal-induced mutagenicity in earthworms reared in metal containing culture beddings. In this experiment we observed the generation of 8-oxoguanine (8-oxo-Gua) in earthworms exposed to cadmium and nickel in soil. 8-oxo-Gua is a major premutagenic form of oxidative DNA damage that induces GC-to-TA point mutations, leading to carcinogenesis.
ISSN:1687-7667
1687-7675