Ethylmethane sulphonate

Procedure for the Chinese Hamster V79/Hgprt Assay. The assay usually comprises three test concentrations, each in duplicate, and four vehicle control replicates. Suitable positive controls are ethylmethane sulphonate (—S9) and dimethyl benzanthracene (+S9). V79 cells with a low nominal passage number should be used from frozen stocks to help minimize genetic drift. The procedure described includes a reseeding step for mutation expression. 

Ethylmethane sulphonate and methylene dimethane sulphonate (Fig. 14. compounds 2 and 3) are also tumour inhibitors. The latter derivative is difunctional, but too small to cross-link guanine bases in DNA. 

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