Future research in mouse radiation genetics

From thirteenth international congress of genetics; Berkeley, Ca1ifornia, USA (20 Aug 1973). The specific-locus method was used to investigate the effect of various biological and physical factors on radioinduced mutation frequency at a sample of seven gene loci of mice. The biological factors include sex, cell stage, and the interval between irradiation and fertilization. The physical factors include radiation dose, dose rate, dose fractionation, and radiation quality. It is suggested that the studies be extended to determine the effects of the various biological and physical factors on mutation frequency at low radiation dose rates in mouse spermatogonia and dictyate oocytes; investigations on the actual nature and effect of the individual mutations induced by radiation; and studies on the nature, extent, and persistence of the actual anatomical and physiologica1 damage expressed in the descendents of irradiated populations. (CH