DNA staining with the fluorochromes EtBr, DAPI and YOYO-1 in the comet assay with tobacco plants after treatment with ethyl methanesulphonate, hyperthermia and DNase-I.

We applied the alkaline version of the single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay to roots and leaves of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum var. xanthi) seedlings or isolated leaf nuclei treated with: (1) the alkylating agent ethyl methanesulphonate, (2) necrotic heat treatments at 50 degrees C, and (3) DNase-I. All three treatments induced a dose-dependent increase in DNA migration, expressed as percentage of tail DNA. A comparison of the fluorochrome DNA dyes ethidium bromide, DAPI and YOYO-1 demonstrated that for the alkaline version of the comet assay in plants, the commonly used fluorescent dye ethidium bromide can be used with the same efficiency as DAPI or YOYO-1.