Modified Ames test for mutagenicity of Pepsi-Cola in Escherichia coliI. IntroductionSome substances have been avoided due to their potential harmful effects on the body. One way a substance affected cells was by changing their genetic material. The potential of a substance to cause changes in genetic information was the mutagenicity of the substance. If it caused changes in the DNA sequence, it was considered a mutagen. Altering a DNA sequence was a concern because modifying DNA can lead to cancer. Mutagens can act as carcinogens, commonly known as carcinogens (Biology 214 Laboratory Handout, 2008). As a result, a great deal of research has been conducted focusing on identifying mutagens. There was an emphasis on substances that people regularly come into contact with, often through food. Some substances found in large portions of a typical human diet have been studied for mutagenicity. One such substance was Pepsi-Cola, a common beverage sold and consumed throughout the world. Pepsi-Cola was concerning because people consume it all over the world. Scientists who studied Pepsi-Cola focused on the caffeine contained in the soda. A 12-ounce Pepsi-Cola contains 38.4 mg of caffeine (Lamarine, 1994). Caffeine has also been readily found in many other substances regularly consumed by people, including coffee, chocolate, tea, Coca-Cola, and other beverages (Lamarine, 1994). Many researchers have conducted studies on the mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of caffeine. One of these people, Margaret Lieb, studied the mutagenic effect that caffeine had on Escherichia coli that had been treated with ultraviolet radiation. The results of his study revealed a greater number of mutant E. coli in the sample where...... half of the article ......logy 214 Laboratory Handout, 2008).III. ReferencesBiology 214 Laboratory Handout 2008. Ames Test: Are Chemicals, Mutations, and Cancer Linked? Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH. 5 pp. Kuhlmann, W., Fromme, H.G., Heege, E.M., and W. Ostertag. 1968. The mutagenic action of higher organisms to caffeine. Cancer Research, 28: 2375-2389.Lamarine, R.J. 1994. Selected health and behavioral effects related to caffeine use. Journal ofCommunity Health, 19(6): 449-466.Lieb, M. 1961. Amelioration of ultraviolet-induced mutation in bacteria by caffeine. Zeitshrift fürVererbungslehre, 92: 416-429. Stefani, E.D., Boffeta, P., Deneo-Pellegrini, H., Correa, P., Ronco, A.L., Brennan, P., Ferro, G., Acosta, G., and M. Mendilaharsu. 2007. Soft drinks and bladder cancer risk in Uruguay. BMC cancer, 7:57.