Meet the editors

Sonia Soloneski has a Ph.D. in Natural Sciences and is an Assistant Professor of Molecular Cell Biology at the School of Natural Sciences and Museum of La Plata, National University of La Plata, Argentina. She is a member of the National Scientific and Technological Research Council (CONICET) of Argentina in the genetic toxicology field, the Latin American Association of Environmental Mutagenesis, Teratogenesis, and Carcinogenesis

(ALAMCTA), the Argentinean Society of Toxicology (ATA), the Argentinean Society of Genetics (SAG), the Argentinean Society of Biology (SAB), and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). She has authored more than 380 contributions in the field, including scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals and research communications. She has served as a review member for more than 30 scientific international journals. She has been a plenary speaker in scientific conferences and a member of scientific committees. She is a specialist in issues related to genetic toxicology, mutagenesis, and ecotoxicology.

Marcelo L. Larramendy, Ph.D., serves as a Professor of Molecular Cell Biology at the School of Natural Sciences and Museum (National University of La Plata, Argentina). He was appointed as Senior Researcher of the National Scientific and Technological Research Council of Argentina. He is a former member of the Executive Committee of the Latin American Association of Environmental Mutagenesis, Teratogenesis, and Carcinogenesis.

He is the author of more than 450 contributions, including scientific publications, research communications, and conferences worldwide. He is the recipient of several national and international awards. Prof. Larramendy is a regular lecturer at the international A. Hollaender courses organized by the IAEMS and a former guest scientist at NIH (USA) and the University of Helsinki, (Finland). He is an expert in genetic toxicology and is, or has been, a referee for more than 20 international scientific journals. He was a member of the International Panel of Experts at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, WHO, Lyon, France) in 2015 for the evaluation of DDT, 2,4-D, and Lindane. Presently, Prof. Dr. Larramendy is Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Cytogenetics and Genotoxicology at the UNLP.

Contents

*by Michael Fasullo*

*by Alexander A. Zhgun*

*and Dmitry Chuiko*

Mammal Ecotoxicology

DCLK1 and DNA Damage Response

*and Parthasarathy Chandrakesan*

Oxidative Stress and Vanadium

The *w/w*<sup>+</sup>

**Preface XI**

**Chapter 1 1**

**Chapter 2 25** Random Mutagenesis of Filamentous Fungi Strains for High-Yield Production

**Chapter 3 43**

**Chapter 4 59** Nefarious, but in a Different Way: Comparing the Ecotoxicity, Gene Toxicity and Mutagenicity of Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd) in the Context of Small

**Chapter 5 77**

**Chapter 6 93**

**Chapter 7 111**

Somatic Mutation and Recombination Test (SMART)

of *Drosophila melanogaster* for Detecting Antigenotoxic Activity

Generation, Evaluation, and Prospects of Further Use of Mutations Based

*by Peter Vladislavov Ostoich, Michaela Beltcheva and Roumiana Metcheva*

*by Janani Panneerselvam, Dongfeng Qu, Courtney Houchen, Michael Bronze* 

*by Marcela Rojas-Lemus, Patricia Bizarro-Nevares, Nelly López-Valdez,* 

*Adriana González-Villalva, Gabriela Guerrero-Palomo, María Eugenia Cervantes-Valencia, Otto Tavera-Cabrera, Norma Rivera-Fernández, Brenda Casarrubias-Tabarez, Martha Ustarroz-Cano, Armando Rodríguez-Zepeda, Francisco Pasos-Nájera and Teresa Fortoul-van der Goes*

*by Isabel Gaivão, João Ferreira and Luisa María Sierra*

Genotoxic Assays for Measuring P450 Activation of Chemical Mutagens

of Secondary Metabolites: The Role of Polyamines

on New Homozygous Self-Pollinated Sunflower Lines

*by Victoria Mykhailenko, Viktor Kyrychenko, Alexander Bragin* 

## Contents


## **Chapter 8 131**

Current Trends and Future Perspectives of Antimutagenic Agents *by Adel M. AbdelHakem and El-Shimaa M.N. Abdelhafez*

Preface

Organisms living in the real world are inevitably exposed to many chemical, physical, and biological agents that are harmful: food additives, natural toxins, pesticides, nanomaterials, metals, radiation, and viruses, among others. However, most of these agents, if not all, may have unexpected consequences on the biota. Organisms are continuously exposed to heterogeneous xenobiotics released into different habitats either deliberately, inadvertently, or through non-regulated industrial discharges. Understanding how these agents can produce genetic alterations in DNA and what their role is in different biological systems continue to receive intense attention in fields such as health, pharmaceutical, environment,

Mutagenicity denotes the generation of stable changes in the DNA molecule that differ from the normal sequence of an organism, which may result in a transmissible change in the genotype of living organisms. Any damaged genetic material could result in mutations, thus stimulating carcinogenic progression or establishing a framework for hereditary disorders. Whereas mutations are generated mainly by exogenous agents, named mutagens, the term genotoxic describes the capability of those chemical, physical, and biological agents to directly affect the structure of DNA, the cellular spindle apparatus, and/or the topoisomerase enzymes that modulate DNA topology during DNA replication as well as chromosome segregation, which are, finally, responsible for the fidelity of the genome. However, genotoxic damage to DNA is not always associated with mutations. Spontaneous mutations arise from a variety of sources due to errors in DNA replication, repair, and recombination, and the presence of transposable genetic elements. Many agents can produce chemically reactive species during their metabolism, or are themselves reactive and may, therefore, cause irreversible

Heritable changes are the origin of innate metabolic deficiencies in cellular systems, generating morbidity and mortality in organisms. Genetic disorders can be produced by a mutation in only one or in multiple genes, through a combination of gene mutations and environmental factors or by damage at the chromosomal level that affects the number and/or structure of entire chromosome(s), or parts thereof. Mutations in cells are not only involved in the initiation and promotion of several human diseases, including cancer, but are also implicated in several genetic disorders, like anaemia, diabetes, cardiovascular alterations, obesity, atherosclerosis, and numerous other degenerative disorders. Currently, scientists recognize more than 4,000 human diseases that are produced by mutations as a

result of a combinatorial failure of more than one of these processes.

As indicated in a book we published some years ago, entitled "Genotoxicity-A Predictable Risk To Our Actual World", without knowledge of the mutagenic and genotoxic properties of chemical, physical, and biological agents, the evaluation of responses in living organisms, including humans, is difficult, and consequently the regulation of genotoxicants is a complex and difficult process. Accurate

identification of the different classes of environmental genotoxicants and mutagens

industry, agriculture, and food sectors.

changes to DNA.
