Flow cytometric detection of DNA cell cycle alterations in hemocytes of mussels ( Mytilus galloprovincialis) off the Adriatic coast, Croatia

Studies were carried out to determine the alteration in DNA cell cycle characteristics of hemocytes of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis collected at 17 different locations (146 individuals) along the Adriatic coast, Croatia. In order to connect possible genomic manifestation to urban and/or industrial waste flow cytometry was used. We studied incidence of altered DNA profile reflective of chromosomal fragmentation phenomena or aneuploid mosaicism, coefficient of variation (CV) in DNA fluorescence as a measure of intraindividual genome size variability and DNA index (DI) as a measure of ploidy. The different classes of DNA cell cycle alterations found in this study mirror either acute or cumulative genotoxic effects of the surrounding environment on mussel hemocyte DNA. These are intraindividual genome size variability (CV>8, seven individuals from four sites), aneuploidy (altered DNA profile and DI