A test system for the rapid detection of nuclear and cytoplasmic damage in Chinese hamster ovary cells

The effect of various agents which cause cell inactivation on the growth curves and RNA synthesis rates of chinese hamster ovary (CHO) calls has been studied. Agents which are known to act on DNA cause a reduced cell growth and RNA synthesis rate. Agents with a cytoplasmic target in eucaryotic cells cause a lengthened lag-phase, followed by growth and RNA-synthesis comparable to that of the control cells. From experiments with acrylonitrile, trichloroethylene, p-tetrachlorohydroquinone, cadmium chloride, and mercury chloride it is concluded that such studies can be used as a rapid test system for preliminary information as to whether a particuliar agent primarily damages the DNA of the cell nucleus or cytoplasmic structures in CHO cells.