Recombinogenic activity of 10 chemical compounds in male germ cells of Drosophila melanogaster.

The Drosophila melanogaster male germ cells are sensitive to the recombinogenic activity of chemical compounds. In our experiments, we have employed four recessive markers located on the 2nd chromosome: dumpy (dp, 13.0), black (b, 48.5), cinnabar (cn, 57.5), and brown (bw, 104.5); b and cn flank the centromere. Three-day-old larvae, heterozygous for these markers, were treated chronically by oral administration with the test compounds. The chemicals already shown to be positive or negative in the assay systems to test chemical agents in D. melanogaster are three carcinogens (4-nitroquinoline N-oxide, hydroxylamine HCl, and acrylamide), four herbicides (maleic hydrazide, alachlor, trifluralin, and amitrol), and three insecticides (endrin, piperonyl butoxide, and allethrin). In our study, some compounds induced recombinogenic effects in Drosophila premeiotic male germ cells, and comparison of our results with those reported in the literature with the Drosophila wing somatic mutation and recombination assay showed that the somatic cells and the germinal cells have a differential response to the defined compounds.