Somatic mutation in cereals

Abstract

The mechanisms of gene and chromosomal mutagenesis in higher plants are not yet fully understood. As with bacterial cells, a wide variety of studies using inhibitors of DNA repair and replication has suggested that errors in DNA replication and DNA repair are involved in mutagenesis. In this article, the description has been focused on two topics; radiation-induced somatic nuclear gene mutation and mutations in chloroplasts genome in cereals. Data were summarized showing that the majority of somatic mutatios in the specific locus induced by ionizing radiations in diploid oats arise through chromosomal changes such as detections of whole or a part of the gene coding for the phenotype, in contrast to chemical-fluid mutations by point mutations. A molecular approach for analyzing mutational changes in cereals has been discussed.The induction of aplastidic mutations was demonstrated in leaves emerged from wheat seeds treated with nalidixic acid. It has been proposed that the molecular mechanism of mutations in the chloroplast genome is one of the promising subjects in mutation research in higher plants. It has become clear that cereal cells possess genetic systems to repair and tolerate DNA lesions, which are analogous to those found in well-studied organisms.