Study on Screening of TaGA2ox1 Mutants in Wheat by Ion Beam Irradiation

As a kind of mutagen, ion beam irradiation can create abundant biological mutations. A population of about 2000 lines was generated by irradiating dry wheat seeds of XiaoYan 81 with low-energy nitrogen ion beams. The traits of the plant, such as height, spike type, fertility, stem color and awn length, were investigated. The mutation rate in terms of the plant height in M2 was 2.9%. Eighteen deletion mutants of TaGA2ox1 were obtained. Associate analysis showed that TaGA2ox1 was closely related to the plant height. Most of the TaGA2ox1-deleted mutants were higher than the control, suggesting that the biological function of TaGA2ox1 is similar to its homologues in other plants. These results demonstrate that ion beam irradiation is an efficient tool in the construction of a mutant library for wheat.

Quantitative Assessment of Amino Acid Damage upon keV Ion Beam Irradiation Through FTIR Spectroscopy

Ion beam irradiation induces important biological effects and it is a long-standing task to acquire both qualitative and quantitative assessment of these effects. One effective way in the investigation is to utilize Fourier transformation infrared （FTIR） spectroscopy because it can offer sensitive and non-invasive measurements. In this paper a novel protocol was employed to prepare biomolecular samples in the form of thin and transversely uniform solid films that were suitable for both infrared and low-energy ion beam irradiation experiments. Under the irradiation of N^＋ and Ar^＋ ion beams of 25 keV with fluence ranging from 5×10^15 ions/cm^2 to 2.5×10^16 ions/cm^2, the ion radio-sensitivity of four amino acids, namely, glycine, tyrosine, methionine and phenylalanine, were evaluated and compared. The ion beam irradiation caused biomolecular decomposition accompanied by molecular desorption of volatile species and the damage was dependent on ion type, fiuence, energy and types of amino acids. The effectiveness of application of FTIR spectroscopy to the quantitative assessment of biomolecular damage dose effect induced by low-energy ion radiation was thus demonstrated.

Effect of Ar Ion Beam Implantation on Morphological and Physiological Characteristics of Liquorice(Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch)Under Short-Term Artificial Drought Conditions

Ar^＋ ion beam with low energy of 30 keV was implanted into liquorice （Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch） seeds at the doses of 0, 600, 900 and 1200 × （2.6 × 10^13） ions/cm^2, respectively. The seeds were sowed in pots and after one month the plants were subjected to different drought conditions for two months. Then the plants＇ morphological and physiological characteristics, antioxidation enzymes and levels of endogenous hormones were investigated. The results showed that ion implantation at a proper dose can greatly enhance the liquorice seedlings＇ resistance against drought stress.

Proteome Changes in Maize Embryo(Zea mays L)Induced by Ion Beam Implantation Treatment

Low energy ion beam implantation was applied to the maize （Zea mays L） embryo proteome using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Protein profile analysis detected more than Ii00 protein spots, 72 of which were determined to be expressed differently in the treated and control （not exposed to ion beam implantation） embryos. Of the 72 protein spots, 53 were up- regulated in the control and 19 were more abundantly expressed in the ion beam-treated embryos. The spots of up- or down-regulated proteins were identified by matrix assisted laser desorption /ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry （MALDI-TOF-MS）. Among the identified proteins, ii were up-regulated in the treated embryos. Four of these up-regulated proteins were antioxidant molecules, three were related to stress response, two to sugar metabolism and two were associated with heat shock response. Of the five proteins up-regulated in the control embryos, three were functionally related to carbohydrate metabolism; the functions of the remaining two proteins were unknown. The data collected during this study indicate that treatment of maize embryos with low energy ion beam implantation induces changes in stress tolerance enzymes/proteins, possibly as a result of alterations in metabolism.

Analysis of a Partial Male-Sterile Mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana Isolated from a Low-Energy Argon Ion Beam Mutagenized Pool

A screen for Arabidopsis fertility mutants, mutagenized by low-energy argon ion beam, yielded two partial male-sterile mutants tc243-1 and tc243-2 which have similar phenotypes. tc243-2 was investigated in detail. The segregation ratio of the mutant phenotypes in the M2 pools suggested that mutation behaved as single Mendelian recessive mutations, tc243 showed a series of mutant phenotypes, among which partial male-sterile was its striking mutant characteristic. Phenotype analysis indicates that there are four factors leading to male sterility, a. Floral organs normally develop inside the closed bud, but the anther filaments do not elongate sufficiently to position the locules above the stigma at anthesis, b. The anther locules do not dehisce at the time of flower opening （although limited dehiscence occurs later）, c. Pollens of mutant plants develop into several types of pollens at the trinucleated stage. as determined by staining with DAPI （4＇,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole）. which shows a variable size. shape and number of nucleus. d. The viability of pollens is lower than that of the wild type on the germination test in vivo and vitro.

RAPD and SSR Polymorphisms in Mutant Lines of Transgenic Wheat Mediated by Low Energy Ion Beam

Two types of markers-random amplified polymorphic DNA （RAPD） and simple sequence repeat DNA （SSR）-have been used to characterize the genetic diversity among nine mutant lines of transgenic wheat intermediated by low energy ion beam and their four receptor cultivars. The objectives of this study were to analyze RAPD-based and SSR-based genetic variance among transgenic wheat lines and with their receptors, and to find specific genetic markers of special traits of transgenic wheat lines. 170 RAPD primers were amplified to 733 fragments in all the experimental materials. There were 121 polymorphic fragments out of the 733 fragments with a ratio of polymorphic fragments of 16.5%. 29 SSR primer pairs were amplified to 83 fragments in all the experiment materials. There were 57 polymorphic fragments out of the 83 fragments with a ratio of polymorphic fragments of 68.7%. The dendrograms were prepared based on a genetic distance matrix using the UPGMA （Unweighted Pair-group Method with Arithmetic averaging） algorithm, which corresponded well to the results of the wheat pedigree analysis and separated the 13 genotypes into four groups. Association analysis between RAPD and SSR markers with the special traits of transgenic wheat mutant lines discovered that three RAPD markers, sl, opt- 16, and f14, were significantly associated with the muticate trait, while three SSR markers, Rht8 （Xgwm261）, Rht-Blb, and Rht-Dlb, highly associated with the dwarf trait. These markers will be useful for marker-assistant breeding and can be used as candidate markers for further gene mapping and cloning.

A Study of Mutation Breeding of High-Yielding Tryptophanase Escherichia coli by Low-Energy N^+ Ion Beam Implantation

Low energy ion beam has been widely applied in microbe breeding, plant breeding, gene transfer and cell modification. In this study, the Escherichia coli （E.coli） strain producing tryptophanase was irradiated by a low energy nitrogen ion beam with an energy of 10 keV at a fluence of 13 × 10^14 N^＋/cm^2 when glycerin at a 15% concentration was used as a protector. The effect on the biomass of E. coli after N^＋ implantation was analyzed in detail by statistic methods. The screening methods used in this study were proven to be effective. After continuous mutagenicity, a high-yield tryptophanase strain was selected and both its biomass and enzymatic activity were higher than those of the parent strain. The results of scale-up production showed that the biomass could reach wet weight 8.2 g/L and 110 g L-tryptophan could be formed in the volume of the 1 l enzymatic reaction system.

Mutation Breeding of an Organic Phosphorus-Solubilizing Bacterium B3 by Low Energy Ion Beam Implantation

A preliminary study on the mutation breeding of an organic phosphorus-solubilizing bacterium B3 by low-energy N^＋ ion beam was conducted. Analysis of dosage vs. survival rate and mutation rate showed that the dosage of 3×10^15 ions/cm^2 was optimal for the mutation. Some parameters for determining the efficient phosphorus content were studied to simplify the protocols for screening. Ultimately one reliable mutant was screened out under plating and flask-culturing screening conditions. Importantly, a novel phosphorus-dissolving mechanism is reported for the first time in terms of bio-surfactant production, which indicates that bio-surfactant might play a vital role in phosphorus-dissolving for some phosphobacteria.

Study of Genetics and Embryology of Polyembryonic Mutant of Autotetraploid Rice Induced by N^+ Beam Implantation

In the present study autotetraploid rice IR36-4X was treated by an ion implantation technique with nitrogen ion beams. A polyembryonic mutant （named IR36-Shuang） was identified in the M2 generation. The mutant line and its offspring were systematically investigated in regard to their major agronomic properties and the rate of polyembryonic seedling in the M3-M6 generation. The abnormal phenomena in the embryo sac development and the cytological mechanism of the initiation of additional embryo in IR36-Shuang were observed by Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy. The results were as follows. 1） The plant height, the panicle length and 1000 grain weight of IRB6-Shuang were lower than that of its control by 35.41%, 5.08% and 15.72% respectively, Moreover, the setting percentage decreased 12.39% compared with that in normal IRB6-4X plants. 2） The polyembryonic trait of IRB6-Shuang was genetically stable and the frequency of the polyembryonic seedlings in the IR36-Shuang line was also relatively stable. 3） The rate of abnormal embryo sacs in IR36-Shuang was significantly higher than that in the control IR36-4X. 4） The additional embryo in IR36-Shuang might arise from the double Jet of embryo sacs in a single owry, antipodal cells or endosperm cells. These results suggest that IRB6-Shuang is a polyembryonic mutant and a new apomixis rice line induced by low energy ion implantation. The prospects for the application in production of the IR36-Shuang line are also discussed. The present study may provide a basis for future investigations of apomixis rice breeding via the ion implantation biotechnology.

Effect of Cellulase and Lactic Acid Bacteria on Fermentation Quality and Chemical Composition of Wheat Straw Silage

The object of this study was to determine the effect of cellulase and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on fermentation quality and chemical composition of wheat straw silage. Silages were prepared using a small-scale fermentation system and the moisture level was adjusted to 60% of fresh matter (FM) with deionized water. Treatments were designed as: control silage without additives, LAB inoculant Lactobacillus casei Z3-1 (1.0 × 106 cfu·g-1 of FM), commercial inoculant L. plantarum FG 1 (1.0 × 106 cfu·g-1 of FM), Z3-1 + cellulase and FG 1 + cellulase. The neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and crude protein (CP) contents of the wheat straw prior to ensiling were 76.93%, 48.52% and 4.63% of dry matter (DM), respectively. After 30 days of fermentation, the silages treated with LAB and LAB + cellulase had a lower (P < 0.05) pH and higher (P < 0.05) lactic acid content than the control, and the coliform bacteria, yeast and mold were inhibited at the early stage of fermentation. Besides, silages treated with cellulase had lower (P < 0.05) values of ADF and NDF than the control. The results confirmed that the addition of cellulase and LAB contributed to improving the fermentation quality of wheat straw silage.

Effects of Ion Implantation on in Vitro Pollen Germination and Cellular Organization of Pollen Tube in Pinus thunbergii Parl. (Japanese Black Pine)

Low-energy ion implantation, as a new technology to produce mutation in plant breeding, has been widely applied in agriculture in China. But so far there is a little understanding of the underlying mechanisms responsible for its biological effects at the cellular level. Here we report the biological effects of a nitrogen ion beams of 30 keV on the pollen grains of Pinus thunbergii Parl. In general, ion implantation inhibited pollen germination. The dose-response curve presented a particular saddle-like pattern. Ion implantation also changed the dimension of the elongated tubes and significantly induced tip swelling. Confocal microscopy indicated that the pollen tube tips in P. thunbergii contained an enriched network of microtubules. Ion implantation led to the disruption of microtubules especially in swollen tips. Treatment with colchicine demonstrated that tip swelling was caused by the disruption of microtubules in the tip, indicating a unique role for microtubules in maintaining the tip integrality of the pollen tube in conifer. Our results suggest that ion implantation induce the disruption of microtubule organization in pollen and pollen tubes and subsequently cause morphological abnormalities in the pollen tubes. This study may provide a clue for further investigation on the interaction between low-energy ion beams and pollen tube growth.

The Effects of Low-Energy Nitrogen Ion Implantation on Pollen Exine Substructure and Pollen Germination of Cedrus deodara

The aim of this study is to investigate the biological effects of ion beams on pollen. Pollen grains of Cedrus deodara were implanted with 30 keV nitrogen ion beams at doses ranging from 1 × 10^15 ions/cm^2 to 15 × 10^15 ions/cm^2. The effects of N^＋ implantation on the pollen exine substructure were examined using an atomic force microscope （AFM）, and the structure and morphology of pollen and pollen tubes were observed using a laser scanning confocal microscope （LSCM）. AFM observations distinctly revealed the erosion of the pollen exine caused by N^＋ implantation in the micrometer to nanometer range. Typical results showed that the erosion degree was linearly proportional to the ion dose. Pollen germination experiments in vitro indicated that N^＋ implantation within a certain dose range increased the rate of pollen germination. The main abnormal phenomena in pollen tubes were also analyzed. Our results suggest that low energy ion implantation with suitable energy and dosage can be used to break the pollen wall to induce a transfer of exogenous DNA into the pollen without any damage to the cytoplasm and nuclei of the pollen. The present study suggests that a combination of the method of ion-beam-induced gene transfer and the pollen-tube pathway method （PTPW） would be a new plant transformation method.

Observation on Double Fertilization and Early Embryonic Development in Autotetraploid Polyembryonic Rice

The process of double fertilization and the characters of embryo and endosperm development in an autotetraploid polyembryonic mutant rice IR36-Shuang were studied with a laser scanning confocal microscopy. Some abnormalities including degenerated ovary, abortive embryo sac, single fertilization, double-ovule and double-embryo and so on. were found dudng double fertilization and embryo development in IR36-Shuang. The rate of the abnormalities was 46.67% in IR36-Shuang, significantly higher than that in the control, an autotetraploid rice line IR36-4X （33.00%）. Cytological and embryonic evidences were provided for seed setting decline and the initiation of additional embryo in IR36-Shuang.

Ion Implantation Hampers Pollen Tube Growth and Disrupts Actin Cytoskeleton Organization in Pollen Tubes of Pinus thunbergii

Pollen grains of Pinus thunbergii Parl. （Japanese black pine） were implanted with 30 keV nitrogen ion beams and the effects of nitrogen ion implantation on pollen tube growth in vitro and the organization of actin cytoskeleton in the pollen tube cell were investigated using a confocal laser scanning microscope after fluorescence labeling. Treatment with ion implantation significantly blocked pollen tube growth. Confocal microscopy showed that ion implantation disrupted actin filament cytoskeleton organization in the pollen tube. It was found that there was a distinct correlation between the inhibition of pollen tube growth and the disruption of actin cytoskeleton organization, indicating that an intact actin cytoskeleton is essential for continuous pollen tube elongation in Pinus thunbergii. Although the detailed mechanism for the ion-implantation-induced bioeffect still remains to be elucidated, the present study assumes that the cytoskeleton system in pollen grains may provide a key target in response to ion beam implantation and is involved in mediating certain subsequent cytological changes.

Isolation and Preliminary Identification of Broad-spectrum Bacteriocin-producing Lactobacillus Strain CW3

[ Objective] This study aimed to screen and preliminarily identify LactobaciUus strain CW3. [ Method] Oxford cup double-plate method was used for preliminary screening of broad-spectrum bacteriacin-producing LactobaciUus strain; after eliminating the interference of organic acid and hydrogen peroxide, antibac- terial substances containing protein properties produced by the screened strain were detected; finally, the obtained strain was identified. [ Result] After elimination of interference factors such as organic acid and hydrogen peroxide, the fermentation supernatant of strain CW3 could stil｜ inhibit the growth of indicator strains; the antibacterial activity of fermentation broth was significantly reduced after treatment with trypsase and pepsase, which indicated that the produced antibacterial sub- stances were bacteriocins. Results of physiological and biochemical identification showed that strain CW3 belonged to Lactobacillus plantarum. [ Conclusion] CW3 is a broad-spectrum bacteriocin-producing LactobaciUus plantarum strain.

Screening of Bioflocculant-Producing Strain by Ion Implantation and Flocculating Characteristics of Bioflocculants

A bioflocculant-producing mutator strain, NIM-192, was screened out through nitrogen ion implanting into F J-7 strain. The results showed that NIM-192 had good genetic stability and high flocculating activity, and the flocculating rate increased by 34.26% than that of the original. Sucrose, complex nitrogen source contained yeast extract, urea and pH 7.0～ 9.0 were chosen as the best carbon source, nitrogen source and initial solution pH for bioflocculant production, respectively. The bioflocculant kept high and stable flocculating activity at alkalinous reaction mixture with a pH beyond 7.0, while the flocculating activity was remarkably reduced when the reaction pH was lower than 7.0. Addition of many cations could obviously increase the flocculating rate, among which Ca^2＋ demonstrated the best effect. The bioflocculant had very strong acid-base stability and thermo-stability.The flocculating rate kept over 86% when pH of the bioflocculant was in a range of 3.0 ～ 12.0, and the change of flocculating activity was not great when heated at 100℃ for 60 rain.

Selection and characterisation of lactic acid bacteria isolated from different origins for ensiling Robinia pseudoacacia and Morus alba L.leaves

The objective of this study was to isolate lactic acid bacteria（LAB） strains from different origins and to select the best strains for ensiling Robinia pseudoacacia（RB） and Morus alba L.（MB）leaves. The LAB strains were inoculated into the extracted liquid obtained from RB and MB leaves to evaluate the fermentation products. 11 LAB strains were selected for further experiments based on the highest products of lactic or acetic acid, including 1 strain of Weissella confusa, 2 of Lactobacillus reuteri and 8 of Lactobacillus plantarum.The API 50 CH fermentation experiment indicated that all of the selected 11 LAB strains utilised most of the carbohydrates. All the strains grew at temperatures between 10 and 45℃ and at a p H of 3.5 to 4.5; however, L. reuteri F7 and F8 tolerated a p H as low as 3.0. All 11 LAB strains showed antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogens, Escherichia coil, Salmonella sp. and Acetobacter pasteurianus; however, after excluding the effect of organic acids, only F7 and F8 still exhibited antibacterial activity. The present study indicated that the selected 11 LAB strains could be used to prepare silages of RB and MB leaves, especially L. reuteri F7 and F8.

Microbial Diversity and Lactic Acid Bacteria Population in Forage in Northwest China

[Objective] To provide a reference for scientific and rational utilization of forage silage. [Method] The number and species of microorganisms in forage were analyzed, and the characteristics of 11 strains of lactic acid bacteria （LAB） were studied. [ Result] All the isolates were Gram-positive, catalase negative and aeroanaerobic. The isolated strains of homofermentation accounted for 78%. The isolates were divided into three groups, Lactobacillus, Leuconostocaceae and Lactococcus, according to their morphological and biochemical characters. [ Conclusion] The microorganisms in forage in northwest China were isolated and identified, which provides a scientific basis for utilization of forage silage.