Comparison between alkaline and neutral variants of yeast comet assay

Abstract

Comet assay gain its popularity because it is a fast and relatively easy-to-perform method for assessing damages in DNA. The two persisting variants of the method: alkaline and neutral, lead to some doubts which one would be suitable for a certain purpose. Here we present a comparison between the two versions of the developed by us Yeast Comet Assay (YCA). Since DNA damages can be quite diverse, i.e. single- or double- stranded cuts, oxidative damages, photodimers, etc., we warn that the method of YCA has to be applied with attention and a certain level of understanding concerning the exact damage that is attempted to be assessed. © 2009 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.