Acrylamide exposure induces a delayed unscheduled DNA synthesis in germ cells of male mice that is correlated with the temporal pattern of adduct formation in testis DNA.

A study of meiotic and postmeiotic germ-cell-stage sensitivity of male mice to induction of unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) by acrylamide showed that DNA repair could be detected in early spermatocytes (after the last scheduled DNA synthesis) through about mid-spermatid stages. No DNA repair could be detected in later stages. The maximum UDS response was observed 6 hr after i.p. exposure and was about 5 times greater than the response measured immediately after treatment. This is the longest delay between chemical treatment and maximum UDS response yet observed in mouse germ cells. There was a linear relationship between the UDS response and acrylamide exposure from 7.8 to 125 mg/kg. By using 14C-labeled acrylamide it was determined that the temporal pattern of adduct formation in testes DNA paralleled that of the UDS response, with maximum binding occurring 4 to 6 hr after exposure. In contrast, the temporal pattern of adduct formation in liver DNA showed maximum binding within 1 to 2 hr after exposure and was an order of magnitude greater than that found for the testis DNA.