title: Cytogenetic effects of low doses of energetic carbon ions on rice after exposures of dry seeds, wet seeds and seedlings.
abstract: In order to investigate the biological effects of heavy ion radiation at low doses and the different radiosensitivities of growing and non-growing plants, rice at different lift stages (dry seed, wet seed and seedling) were exposed to carbon ions at doses of 0.02, 0.2, 2 and 20 Gy. Radiobiological effects on survival, root growth and mitotic activity, as well as the induction of chromosome aberrations in root meristem, were observed. The results show that radiation exposure induces a stimulatory response at lower dose and an inhibitory response at higher dose on the mitotic activity of wet seeds and seedlings. Cytogenetic damages are induced in both seeds and seedlings by carbon ion radiation at doses as low as 0.02 Gy. Compared with seedlings, seeds are more resistant to the lethal damage and the growth rate damage by high doses of carbon ions, but are more sensitive to cytogenetic damage by low doses of irradiation. Different types of radiation induced chromosome aberrations are observed between seeds and seedlings. Based on these results, the relationships between low dose heavy ion-induced biological effects and the biological materials are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Ming
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Jian-Guo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Wen-Jian
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Ye-Qing
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D007477:Ions; D008938:Mitosis / Q000528:radiation effects; D012275:Oryza / Q000528:radiation effects*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000187:drug effects; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D036226:Seedlings / Q000235:genetics / Q000528:radiation effects; D012639:Seeds / Q000528:radiation effects; D013696:Temperature; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D007477:Ions; D014867:Water; D002244:Carbon