Nitrilotriacetic acid effect on the genetic activity induced by chromium chloride and sodium chromate inSaccharomyces cerevisiae

The influence of nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), a substitute of poliphosphates in laundry detergents, on mitotic gene conversion and point reverse mutation induced by sodium chromate and chromium chloride was analyzed on D7 strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. NTA determined a significant decrease of chromate convertogenic activity while the induced point reverse mutation was not affected. This can be due to a direct interaction between chromate and NTA or to a possible NTA effect on recombinational repair of DNA‐breaks induced by the chromate oxidizing activity. Both chromium chloride and NTA dissolved into liquid growth medium inhibited cell growth but the simultaneous presence of both compounds allowed cells to grow. In this condition the cell population, growing up to the stationary phase, accumulated a significant number of convertants and revertants. Our results indicate that NTA, interacting with Cr3+ , probably forms NTA‐Cr3+ complexes able to cross the membranes and to react with DNA. In addition th...