Ethyl methanesulfonate

Structural formula
General
Surname	Ethyl methanesulfonate
other names	Methanesulfonic acid ethyl ester Ethyl mesylate EMS
Molecular formula	C 3 H 8 O 3 S
Brief description	colorless liquid with a fruity odor
External identifiers / databases
CAS number 62-50-0 EC number 200-536-7 ECHA InfoCard 100,000,488 PubChem 6113 Wikidata Q416643
properties
Molar mass	124.15 g mol −1
Physical state	liquid
density	1.21 g cm −3 (20 ° C)
boiling point	213-214 ° C
Vapor pressure	27 Pa (25 ° C)
solubility	soluble in water
safety instructions
GHS labeling of hazardous substances danger H and P phrases H: 302-340-351 P: 201-281-308 + 313
As far as possible and customary, SI units are used. Unless otherwise noted, the data given apply to standard conditions .

Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) is a mutagenic , teratogenic , and carcinogenic organic compound having the formula C ₃ H ₈ O ₃ S. EMS calls random mutations in DNA -Doppelsträngen produced by the nucleotides modified, for example by alkylation of guanine ( O - 6-ethylguanine). In DNA replication , a thymine is often incorporated instead of a cytosine opposite the O- 6-ethylguanine . This mainly creates point mutations from G / C to A / T.

use

EMS is used in molecular biology to create point mutations. So z. B. in a mutagenesis of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana ( thale cress ) up to one mutation per 300,000 base pairs , and over 99% of that from G / C to A / T. The resulting mutations in a gene of interest can be identified either by sequencing the corresponding DNA segments in many thousands of individuals or by the more modern TILLING method.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} entry to ethyl methane sulfonate in the GESTIS database of IFA , accessed on January 10, 2017(JavaScript required) .
2. ^ EA Green et al .: Spectrum of Chemically Induced Mutations From a Large-Scale Reverse-Genetic Screen in Arabidopsis . Genetics, 164: 731-740 (June 2003)