Ion Beam Breeding and Gene Discovery for Function Analyses Using Mutants

Abstract

The RIKEN RI Beam Factory (RIBF) is the one of the biggest facilities to accelerate heavy ions in the world. Nuclear physics is the primary subject of the RIBF. You may know RIKEN as nuclear physics laboratories. Its activities cover every scientific and technological fields, even in agriculture. We have developed a unique technology for mutation induction by using heavy-ion beams from particle accelerators at the RIBE, through an efficient synergistic link between agricultural science and accelerator physics. At relatively low doses, ion beams induce mutations at a high rate without severely inhibiting growth. The irradiation treatment given to the various plant materials is quick, lasting between a few seconds and a few minutes, but is sufficient to induce mutation. By using this method, we already put 26 new cultivars on the market in Japan, the United States, Canada, and the European Union since 2001. For example, rose induced mutations are utilized in vegetative propagated crops to shorten the time necessary to breed for desirable characters (Figure 1). In the present article, we introduce the development and practical applications of ion-beam breeding, effects of Linear Energy Transfer (LET) on lethality and mutagenesis, and future perspectives on biological applications of heavy-ion beams.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank our colleagues Tadashi Kambara, Nobuhisa Fukunishi, Yasushi Watanabe (physicists), and Yasuhide Hara (Rose Breeder in Kanagawa Prefecture) for their important contribution on this research. Irradiation experiments were performed at RIBF operated by the RIKEN Nishina Center and CNS, University of Tokyo. We thank the RIKEN Research Resources Center of the Brain Science Institute for performing DNA sequencing.

This research was supported by a grant from the research project “Utilizing Advanced Technologies in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (No. 1783)” from the Research Council, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, a grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science through the “Funding Program for Next Generation World-Leading Researchers” (NEXT program, GR096), initiated by the Council for Science and Technology Policy, MEXT KAKENHI (no. 221S002), Tohoku Marine Science Center Project from MEXT, Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP), “Technologies for Creating Next-Generation Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries” funding agency Bio-oriented Technology Research Advancement Institution, NARO.