adenomatous polyposis coli influences micronuclei induction by phip and acrylamide in mouse erythrocytes micronucleus mn induction in erythrocytes of multiple intestinal neoplasia min mice with heterozygous apc mutation was measured after sc injections of acrylamide glycidamide 2amino1methyl6phenylimidazo45bpyridine phip and colchicine and compared with wildtype wt mice since apc influences microtubule dynamics we wanted to test whether minmice were more sensitive to the production of mn than wildtype mice we also examined the effect of pretreatment with cytosine betadarabinofuranoside ara c and hydroxyurea which inhibit ligation of dna strand breaks in the repair of dna adducts all compounds induced a significant increase in mn in both strains of mice with the following potencies acrylamideglycidamidephip no difference in the induction of mn was seen between minmice and wtmice exposed to acrylamide glycidamide or colchicine without pretreatment however in minmice phip treatment induced much less mn than in wtmice with about four and sixfold increase in mn in minmice and wtmice respectively a reduced ability to repair phip adducts may be the reason for the lower induction of mn in minmice treatment with ara c and hydroxyurea to increase sensitivity gave more than a fourfold increase in mn but strongly reduced proliferation pretreatment with ara c and hydroxyurea made the minmice slightly more sensitive to mn induction by glycidamide compared to wtmice we conclude that minmice are less sensitive than wtmice to mn induction by phip that forms bulky dna adducts while minmice and wtmice are equally sensitive to mn induction by acrylamide and glycidamide that form dna base adducts