Strain difference in the micronucleus test. The Collaborative Study Group for the Micronucleus Test.

The Collaborative Study Group for the Micronucleus Test, a task group of the Environmental Mutagen Society of Japan, has earlier addressed the question of sex difference as a source of variation in the micronucleus test. Strain difference, another issue in test protocols requiring urgent clarification, was selected as the subject of the second study. Male mice of strains Slc:ddY (ddY), CRJ: CD-1(ICR) (CD-1), Slc:BDF1 (BDF1), and ms:Hal (ms) were treated with 6 different chemicals chosen from various classes of micronucleus inducers: colchicine, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, ethyl methanesulfonate, N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea, 6-mercaptopurine, and potassium chromate. All 4 strains gave positive results with all 6 chemicals, although ms tended to show the highest responses. ddY and CD-1 were low responders, while BDF1 was intermediate between ms and the other two. Although ms seemed superior to the other strains, its high responses became manifest mostly at high dose levels. ms was not always the most sensitive strain; it responded moderately to ethyl methanesulfonate. Also the background level of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes was the highest in ms, but this did not explain the apparent high sensitivity of this strain. Despite the strain differences, it can be concluded that any of the other strains used seems to suffice as a tester for the micronucleus test.