A joint research team of Tokyo University of Science and the Quantum Science and Technology Research and Development Organization has irradiated a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, with an ion beam, and one-third of one chromosome is inserted into another. Was successfully created.
Irradiating a plant with an ion beam destroys the DNA as it passes through the cells, causing errors during the repair process and producing effective "mutations."In this study, we investigated which gene was mutated, and found that not only one gene was disrupted, but also a fragment of chromosome 3,000 containing about 3 genes was completely removed, resulting in chromosome 2. It was found that the plant had a dramatic structural change.It is thought that this is because the ion beam has a stronger ability to destroy DNA than conventional radiation (X-rays, gamma rays, etc.).
A plant that has undergone this structural change can grow normally and produce seeds, but when mated with the original plant, it becomes difficult to produce seeds in the next generation, and it has the properties of another species. ..In other words, ion beam irradiation has made it possible to create new varieties with new characteristics that could not be easily obtained by conventional methods.
If research on designing chromosomal structures progresses by applying this research technology, it is expected that it will lead to the development of next-generation agriculture and bio-industry beyond the limits of conventional breeding.
Paper information:[Journal of Radiation Research] Ion beam – induced Arabidopsis mutant with marked chromosomal rearrangement
