Abstract
Mutation-breeding technologies are useful tools for the development of new biological resources in plants and microorganisms. In Takasaki Ion Accelerators for Advanced Radiation Application (TIARA) at the National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Japan, ion beams were explored as novel mutagens. The mutagenic effects of various ion beams on eukaryotic and prokaryotic microorganisms were described and their application in breeding technology for industrial microorganisms were discussed. Generally, the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) depended on the liner energy transfer (LET) and the highest RBE values were obtained with 12C5+ ion beams. The highest mutation frequencies were obtained at radiation doses that gave 1%–10% of surviving fraction. By using 12C5+ ion beams in this dose range, many microorganisms have been improved successfully at TIARA. Therefore, ion-beam breeding technology for microorganisms will have applications in many industries, including stable food production, sustainable agriculture, environmental conservation, and development of energy resources in the near future. Moreover, genome analyses of the ion-beam-induced mutants are in progress to clear the differences of mutational functions induced by different LET radiations in microorganisms. Further characterizations of mutations induced by different LET radiations will facilitate more effective use of ion beams in microorganisms breeding.
Highlights
The growth of the global population increases stable food production in sustainable environmental conditions
Studies described in this review suggest that the application of ion-beam mutagenic technology to microorganisms is useful in both basic science and applied research
It is very important to select the liner energy transfer (LET) of ion beams for effectively inducing a mutation, the differences of mutagenic effects from the different LET of ion beams are poorly understood in a microorganism
Summary
The growth of the global population increases stable food production in sustainable environmental conditions. Since the 1990s, QST has been conducting basic research on the induction of mutation in plants using ion beams accelerated by an azimuthally varying field (AVF) cyclotron at TIARA. In research into Arabidopsis thaliana, a widely used model plant, UV-resistant mutants [3], UV-sensitive mutants [4], and mutants in flavonoid transport [5] and in auxin regulation [6] have been successfully generated by ion-beam mutagenesis. The mutation frequency induced in A. thaliana by carbon ion beam irradiation was higher than that by electrons [9,10] This technology has been applied in horticulture to generate new varieties of ornamental plants. The target microorganism samples were irradiated with ion atmospbheearmicscaot nrodoimtiotenms.pFeriantaulrley,inththeetaatrmgeotspmheicrircocoorngdaintiiosnms. samples were irradiated with ion beams at room temperature in the atmospheric conditions
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