Study of the genotoxic effects of a proline-rich polypeptide using the comet assay

Abstract

The genotoxicity of a proline-rich polypeptide was investigated in vitro in the human myeloid leukemia KCL-22 cell line. A comet assay, based on single-cell gel electrophoresis, was used for the analysis of the DNA damage and reparation rate. After electrophoresis, images resembling comets were formed; the intensity of the “tail” relative to the “head” reflected the number of DNA breaks. We demonstrated that the level of DNA damage depended on the polypeptide concentration and incubation time. Estimation of DNA damage levels by the comet assay is recommended for the evaluation of the genotoxicity of new pharmaceuticals.