New Animal Models to Study Bioavailable Metals and Mutation Rates
Travis Glenn, Savannah River Ecology Lab, University of Georgia
16 Sep 2005
Heavy metals are increasingly common environmental contaminants. Although metals can be measured very accurately by chemical methods, predicting the biological effects of the metals in particular environments can be challenging. New model organisms are needed to better understand bioavailability and the biological effects of metals, especially as part of contaminant mixtures. I will present ongoing collaborative research in which we have developed: 1) new strains of transgenic C. elegans that report bioavailable metals, and 2) new markers to directly measure germ-line mutation rates in medaka (aka Japanese rice fish). I will also highlight how the approach used to make the transgenics can be used to study any contaminants of interest (e.g., Arabidopsis) and how mutation rates can be estimated in any eukaryotic organism (e.g., alligators).