Estimates of the radiation-induced mutation frequencies to recessive visible, dominant cataract and enzyme-activity alleles in germ cells of AKR, BALB/c, DBA/2 and (102xC3H)F1 mice.

Male mice of the genotypes AKR, BALB/c, (102/ElxC3H/El)F1 or DBA/2 were exposed to 3 + 3 Gy irradiation with a 24 h fractionation interval and mated to untreated Test-stock females. The offspring were screened for activity alterations of 10 erythrocyte enzymes as well as recessive specific-locus and dominant cataract mutations. The observed mutation rates per locus per gamete x 10(-5) for treated spermatogonia were 6.8, 4.9, 2.5 and 1.3 for enzyme-activity mutations, 8.6, 24.1, 22.8 and 31.4 for specific-locus mutations, and 0.7, 0.9, 0.6 and 2.5 for cataract mutations, respectively. Some variability from strain to strain in the frequency of radiation-induced mutations was observed. However, there was no consistent effect of genotype on the frequency of induced mutations and it is concluded that no effect of genetic background exists for the four genotypes tested. There is good agreement between the observed enzyme-activity mutation rate in children of survivors of the atomic bombings and the expected mutation rate based on results with mice. Results are therefore consistent with an estimation of human radiation-induced genetic risks based upon an extrapolation of experimental results in the mouse.