The sensitivity pattern of the Drosophila testis to TEM was analysed by means of a dual-purpose strain that allows the scoring of induced crossovers and sex-linked lethals in the progeny of the same flies. It was found that TEM produces the highest frequency of mutations in spermatocytes or late spermatogonia, while early spermatogonia are even less sensitive than mature spermatozoa. The discrepancy between this conclusion and that obtained by Fahmy & Fahmy (1955) is attributed to a difference in the method of analysis. The sensitivity pattern of the Drosophila testis to TEM resembles that to mustard gas and differs from that to X-rays. The sensitivity pattern of the mouse testis to TEM differs from that of the Drosophila testis.
Sensitivity of the Drosophila testis to tri-ethylene melamine (TEM)