The Micronucleus test is a cytological test used to quantify
chromosomal damage. Agents which damage chromosomes often prodce
small pieces of chromosome with no centromere. These are unable to
migrate to the poles of the spindle during mitosis, and so remain as
small micronuclei, usually close to the true nucleus of the daughter
cells. They can be detected by standard cytological/cytogenetic
methods which stain chromatin. It is not very widely used, as there
better cytogenetic tests for estimating chromosomal damage by direct
analysis of the chromosome complement of cells. A useful reference is
Countryman PI & Heddle JA Mutation Research (1976) 41:321-322. An
example of the use of this and other tests can be found in Tsui YC,
Creasy, MR & Hulten, MA Journal of Medical Genetics (1983) 20: 81-
85.
Mike Creasy
Dr Michael R. Creasy
Clinical Cytogeneticist
Institute of Medical Genetics
University of Wales College of Medicine
Cardiff CF14 4XN
029 2074 4067
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