INTRODUCTION

A mutagen is a chemical or physical agent capable of inducing changes in DNA called

mutations. Exposure to a mutagen can produce DNA mutations that cause or contribute to
certain diseases.

The DNA in any cell can be altered through environmental exposure to certain chemicals,
ultraviolet radiation, other genetic insults, or even errors that occur during the process of
replication. If a mutation occurs in a germ-line cell (one that will give rise to gametes, i.e., egg
or sperm cells), then this mutation can be passed to an organism's offspring. This means that
every cell in the developing embryo will carry the mutation.

Ultraviolet (UV) light induces specific mutations in the cellular and skin genome such as UV-
signature and triplet mutations, the mechanism of which has been thought to involve
translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) over UV-induced DNA base damage.

Formaldehyde is commonly used in the chemical industry and is present in the environment,
such as vehicle emissions, some building materials, food, and tobacco smoke. It also occurs as
a natural product in most organisms, the sources of which include a number of metabolic
processes. Formaldehyde mainly induces N-hydroxymethyl mono-adducts on guanine, adenine
and cytosine, and N-methylene crosslinks between adjacent purines in DNA. These crosslinks
are types of DNA damage potentially fatal for cell survival if they are not removed by the
nucleotide excision repair pathway.

MATERIALS

1. Setcreasea pallida leaf

2. Formalin
3. UV light
4. Acetocarmine
5. Forceps
6. Grease free slides
7. Coverslip
8. Microscope

PROCEDURE

1. Take the Setcreasea pallida leaf and cut its petiole into pieces
2. Take one portion of it and socked in Formalin and another portion was taken under in
UV for 5mins and 15mins
3. Then these portions are stained by Acetocarmine for 30 mins heat until the acetocarmine
begins to boil.
4. Then these portions are cut into small pieces and squashed on a slide, followed by the
put a cover slip on the top of it and observed in the microscope.