Clastogenic
Clastogenic is a term used in genetics, toxicology, and radiobiology to describe agents or conditions that induce structural chromosome damage in cells. Clastogens cause breaks and rearrangements in DNA, leading to aberrant chromosomes such as deletions, duplications, translocations, and inversions. This type of damage is commonly observed in dividing cells as chromosomal aberrations during mitosis and can result in genomic instability.
Mechanisms underlying clastogenicity typically involve the induction of DNA double-strand breaks, replication stress, or interference with
Clastogenicity is assessed using a variety of tests. In vitro chromosome aberration tests in cultured mammalian
Relationship to related concepts is nuanced. Aneugens cause numerical changes in chromosome number rather than structural
Examples of clastogens include ionizing radiation and certain chemical agents such as some chemotherapeutic drugs that