Hypoxia and Induced Mutations in Syrian (Golden) Hamsters

Abstract

We were able to identify anomalous chromosome patterns—monosomy, trisomy, and polyploidy—in metaphase plates prepared from embryos of Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) whose mothers had been exposed to low-pressure hypoxia during the hours after copulation.These females were exposed in a low-pressure chamber for 4 hours it pressures equivalent to 30,000 feet of altitude before (estimated) ovulation to create acid shifts of pH equilibrium in the milieu of newly released eggs during passage of sperm upward, during fertilization itself, and duringv early cleavage stages. The D group chromosomes were most frequently involved in both monosomy and hyperdiploidy. The easily identifiable X chromosome also appeared to be susceptible to aneuploid formation. Chromosomally abnormal patterns appeared most frequently among sibling embryos conceived by aging mothers exposed to lowpressure hypoxia. The significance of Induced mutations is discussed.