Ames test is the most popular method of assessing mutagenicity using Salmonella typhimurium as an indicator. Recently, sequence analyses have been introduced for the investigation of mutation mechanisms. Most revertants (>70%) carry 2-bp deletion within an 8-bp CG repeat in hisD (hotspot mutation) in the Ames test using S. typhimurium TA98. We developed a new specific amplification method for nonhotspot mutants by peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-mediated PCR clamping. It markedly reduces the labor and cost of this kind of studies.