An Effective Method for Detection and Analysis of DNA Damage Induced by Heavy-Ion Beams

Abstract

We have developed an efficient system to detect and analyze DNA mutations induced by heavy-ion beams in Arabiopsis thaliana. In this system, a stable transgenic Arabidopsis line that constitutively expresses a yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) by a single-copy gene at a genomic locus was constructed and irradiated with heavy-ion beams. The YFP gene is a target of mutagenesis, and its loss of function or expression can easily be detected by the disappearance of YFP signals in planta under microscopy. With this system, a ¹²C⁶⁺-induced mutant with single deletion and multiple base changes was isolated.