Newly constructed insecticide-resistant D. melanogaster strains with elevated sensitivity to the mutagenic effect of benzo(a)pyrene and 2-acethylaminofluorene

The mutagenic effect of a number of procarcinogenic compounds has been compared in two groups of Drosophila melanogaster strains differing in the insecticide resistance-associated cytochrome P-450. Heterozygotes y++/+wsn³ of insecticide-sensitive strains were shown to be sensitive to the mutagenic effects of aflatoxin B1, 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane and nitrozamines, but failed to detect mutagenicity of the benzo(a)pyrene and acethylaminofluorenes. In contrast, the newly established DDT-resistant strains were found to be sensitive to the mutagenecity of BP and 2- AAF in the SMART assay. Mechanisms of the sensitivity of the newly constructed strains to BP and 2-AAF are discussed.