Ž.
Mutation Research 402 1998 1–5
Editorial
Hikoya Hayatsu
a,)
, Kazuo Negishi
b
a
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Okayama UniÕersity, Tsushima, Okayama 700, Japan
b
Gene Research Center, Okayama UniÕersity, Okayama 700, Japan
1. Summary
The 5th International Conference on Mechanisms
Ž
of Antimutagenesis and Anticarcinogenesis 5th IC-
.
MAA was held from December 2 to 6, 1996, in
Okayama, Japan. In this 5-day meeting, many as-
pects of this field of science, from fundamental to
applied, were discussed, and in this Special Issue
manuscripts of most of the major contributors are
accumulated.
Ž.
The first day Dec. 2 began with a Keynote
Ž
Address by T. Sugimura National Cancer Center,
.
Tokyo, Japan ‘Cancer Prevention: Past, Present,
Ž.
Future’ see this volume, pp. 7–14 . Session 1 was
on DNA damage, Mutation and Repair with six
lectures. The following lectures are published in this
Ž
volume: T.A. Kunkel National Institute of Environ-
mental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC,
.
USA on ‘Studies of Mismatch Repair in Human
Ž. Ž
Cells’ pp. 15–22 , R.M. Schaaper National Insti-
tute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research
.
Triangle Park, NC, USA on ‘Anti-mutators of Es-
cherichia coli: Antimutagenesis via Increased DNA
Ž.
Replication Accuracy’ pp. 23–28 , and D.G.
Ž
MacPhee La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC,
.
Australia on ‘Mismatch Repair and Time-Depen-
Ž
dent Mutagenesis’, a paper related to this subject is
)
Corresponding author. Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Okayama University, Tsushima, Okayama 700, Japan.
Tel: q81-86-251-7945; fax: q81-86-251-7927; E-mail:
hayatsu@ph2ews1.okayama-u.ac.jp
.Ž
on pp. 29–39 of this volume . L.D. Samson Harvard
.
School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA talked
on ‘DNA Alkylation Repair in Eukaryotic Cells’.
They studied the effects of induced O
6
MeG, O
4
MeT
and N
3
MeA in DNA using genetically engineered
mammalian cells and animals. They showed that
O
6
MeG andror O
4
MeT caused mutations and cyto-
toxicity including chromosomal aberrations and
apoptosis. Her group constructed mice lacking
N
3
MeA DNA glycosylases for the analysis of the
effects of N
3
-alkylation of adenine in DNA. They
showed that the alkylated adenines in DNA are the
cause of chromosomal aberrations and apoptosis.
Ž
J.W. Drake National Institute of Environmental
.
Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
lectured on ‘The Magnitude and Impact of Sponta-
neous Mutation’. People generally believe that the
mutator mutations are not advantageous for life. He
pointed out that mutator mutants should frequently
win in the competition to adapt to a new environ-
ment. Indeed, mutators are much more frequent in
clinically isolated E. coli than in laboratory cultures
where their environment is more stable. The talk by
Ž
B.W. Glickman University of Victoria, Victoria, BC,
.
Canada was on ‘Species-Specific Differences in the
Frequency and Specificity of Mutation in
l
rlacI
Transgenic Mice and Rats Following Exposure to
Aflatoxin B1’. He compared Big Blue mice and rats
with respect to AFB1-mutability. Mice injected with
2.5 mgrkg of AFB1 intraperitoneally did not show a
significant increase in liver mutant frequency, but
rats receiving 0.25 mgrkg showed a 20-fold induc-
0027-5107r98r$19.00 q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Ž.
PII S0027-5107 97 00275-3