title: Novel mutation breeding method for Streptomyces avermitilis using an atmospheric pressure glow discharge plasma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Avermectins are major antiparasitic agents used commercially in animal health, agriculture and human infections. To improve the fermentation efficiency of avermectins, for the first time a plasma jet generated by a novel atmospheric pressure glow discharge (APGD) was employed to generate mutations in Streptomyces avermitilis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The APGD plasma jet, driven by a radio frequency (RF) power supply with water-cooled and bare-metallic electrodes, was used as a new mutation method to treat the spores of S. avermitilis. The plasma jet yielded high total (over 30%) and positive (about 21%) mutation rates on S. avermitilis, and a mutated strain, designated as G1-1 with high productivity of avermectin B1a and genetic stability, was obtained.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because of the low jet temperature, the high concentrations of the chemically reactive species and the flexibility of its operation, the RF APGD plasma jet has a strong mutagenic effect on S. avermitilis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is a proof-of-concept study for the use of an RF APGD plasma jet for inducing mutations in microbes. We have shown that the RF APGD plasma jet could be developed as a promising and convenient mutation tool for the fermentation industry and for use in biotechnology research.
authors.affiliation:  Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: L-Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation:  Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Z-L
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation:  Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation:  Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: H-X
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation:  Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: X-H
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation:  Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: W-T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation:  Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: H-P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation:  Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Z-X
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Gou
authors.affiliation:  Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: C-Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Bao
mesh_terms: D000977:Antiparasitic Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D001274:Atmospheric Pressure; D005285:Fermentation; D007218:Industrial Microbiology; D007559:Ivermectin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009154:Mutation; D058626:Plasma Gases; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013302:Streptomyces / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D000977:Antiparasitic Agents; D058626:Plasma Gases; C022120:avermectin B(1)a; D007559:Ivermectin