VIRUSES AND MAMMALIAN CHROMOSOMES .X. COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF CHROMOSOME DAMAGE INDUCED BY HUMAN AND SIMIAN ADENOVIRUSES

The capacity of human adenoviruses types 2, 4, 7, 12 and 18 and simian adenoviruses SA7 and SVI5 to induce chromosome and mitotic aberrations in cultured Syrian hamster cells (BHK21) was examined. Each of these adenoviruses induced a wide variety of chromosome aberrations, including chromatid breaks, chromosome fragmentation, overcontraction, erosion of the chromosome complements and mitotic anomalies. The incidence of metaphase plates with chromosome aberrations and the intensity of damage per cell depended upon the input multiplicity of each virus tested. The type of induced chromosome aberrations depended both on the type of virus and on the viral dose. There was no evident correlation between the types of damage induced and the oncogenic potential of the virus. © 1968.