The impact of carbon-ion beam irradiation on the phenotypic and molecular variation of wheat

Abstract Background Heavy ion beam irradiation is a potent mutagenic technique for developing new germplasm resources and breeding novel plant varieties. However, the biological effects and molecular variations caused by different dosages of heavy ion beam irradiation in crops are still not well und...

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Main Authors: Huihui Fan, Qianwen Xue, Hongchun Xiong, Huijun Guo, Yongdun Xie, Linshu Zhao, Jiayu Gu, Shirong Zhao, Yuping Ding, Huiyuan Li, Libin Zhou, Luxiang Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-08-01
Series:BMC Plant Biology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-07097-2
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author Huihui Fan
Qianwen Xue
Hongchun Xiong
Huijun Guo
Yongdun Xie
Linshu Zhao
Jiayu Gu
Shirong Zhao
Yuping Ding
Huiyuan Li
Libin Zhou
Luxiang Liu
author_facet Huihui Fan
Qianwen Xue
Hongchun Xiong
Huijun Guo
Yongdun Xie
Linshu Zhao
Jiayu Gu
Shirong Zhao
Yuping Ding
Huiyuan Li
Libin Zhou
Luxiang Liu
author_sort Huihui Fan
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Heavy ion beam irradiation is a potent mutagenic technique for developing new germplasm resources and breeding novel plant varieties. However, the biological effects and molecular variations caused by different dosages of heavy ion beam irradiation in crops are still not well understood. Results In this study, we investigated the biological effects and molecular variations in the M1 generation of wheat, along with extensive phenotype screening in the M2 generation, to thoroughly assess the mutagenic impact of carbon-ion beam irradiation. Our findings indicate that radiation doses of 60–120 Gy significantly reduced seedling height and root length, with a 50% survival rate occurring at the dose of 87 Gy. We examined a total of 1840 M2 plants for phenotypic mutations and found a mean mutation frequency of 2.68%. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that irradiation induced single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and small insertions and deletions (indels), with transition/transversion ratios ranging from 1.96 to 2.03. Mutation hotspots were identified in the Chr1A, 3A, 6D, and 7D regions. Additionally, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified genes such as CAT, NPF, and BZIP which showed a high correlation with dosage response and are predominantly involved in starch and sucrose metabolism. Metabolome analysis at a radiation dose of 100 Gy revealed that the differential metabolites were predominantly involved in tryptophan metabolism. These pathways may play a crucial role in the response to radiation. Conclusion This study provides valuable information and resources for mutation breeding in crops, enhancing our understanding of carbon-ion-beam-induced mutations in wheat.
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spelling doaj-art-70e668fbb964461aab76ce7d6204c4f52025-08-24T11:16:47ZengBMCBMC Plant Biology1471-22292025-08-0125111310.1186/s12870-025-07097-2The impact of carbon-ion beam irradiation on the phenotypic and molecular variation of wheatHuihui Fan0Qianwen Xue1Hongchun Xiong2Huijun Guo3Yongdun Xie4Linshu Zhao5Jiayu Gu6Shirong Zhao7Yuping Ding8Huiyuan Li9Libin Zhou10Luxiang Liu11State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding/CAEA Research and Development Centre On Nuclear Technology Applications for Irradiation Mutation Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding/CAEA Research and Development Centre On Nuclear Technology Applications for Irradiation Mutation Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding/CAEA Research and Development Centre On Nuclear Technology Applications for Irradiation Mutation Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding/CAEA Research and Development Centre On Nuclear Technology Applications for Irradiation Mutation Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding/CAEA Research and Development Centre On Nuclear Technology Applications for Irradiation Mutation Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding/CAEA Research and Development Centre On Nuclear Technology Applications for Irradiation Mutation Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding/CAEA Research and Development Centre On Nuclear Technology Applications for Irradiation Mutation Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding/CAEA Research and Development Centre On Nuclear Technology Applications for Irradiation Mutation Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding/CAEA Research and Development Centre On Nuclear Technology Applications for Irradiation Mutation Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding/CAEA Research and Development Centre On Nuclear Technology Applications for Irradiation Mutation Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesBiophysics Group, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding/CAEA Research and Development Centre On Nuclear Technology Applications for Irradiation Mutation Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesAbstract Background Heavy ion beam irradiation is a potent mutagenic technique for developing new germplasm resources and breeding novel plant varieties. However, the biological effects and molecular variations caused by different dosages of heavy ion beam irradiation in crops are still not well understood. Results In this study, we investigated the biological effects and molecular variations in the M1 generation of wheat, along with extensive phenotype screening in the M2 generation, to thoroughly assess the mutagenic impact of carbon-ion beam irradiation. Our findings indicate that radiation doses of 60–120 Gy significantly reduced seedling height and root length, with a 50% survival rate occurring at the dose of 87 Gy. We examined a total of 1840 M2 plants for phenotypic mutations and found a mean mutation frequency of 2.68%. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that irradiation induced single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and small insertions and deletions (indels), with transition/transversion ratios ranging from 1.96 to 2.03. Mutation hotspots were identified in the Chr1A, 3A, 6D, and 7D regions. Additionally, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified genes such as CAT, NPF, and BZIP which showed a high correlation with dosage response and are predominantly involved in starch and sucrose metabolism. Metabolome analysis at a radiation dose of 100 Gy revealed that the differential metabolites were predominantly involved in tryptophan metabolism. These pathways may play a crucial role in the response to radiation. Conclusion This study provides valuable information and resources for mutation breeding in crops, enhancing our understanding of carbon-ion-beam-induced mutations in wheat.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-07097-2Biological effectsCarbon-ion beam irradiationMetabolome analysisPhenotypic variationTranscriptome sequencingWheat
spellingShingle Huihui Fan
Qianwen Xue
Hongchun Xiong
Huijun Guo
Yongdun Xie
Linshu Zhao
Jiayu Gu
Shirong Zhao
Yuping Ding
Huiyuan Li
Libin Zhou
Luxiang Liu
The impact of carbon-ion beam irradiation on the phenotypic and molecular variation of wheat
BMC Plant Biology
Biological effects
Carbon-ion beam irradiation
Metabolome analysis
Phenotypic variation
Transcriptome sequencing
Wheat
title The impact of carbon-ion beam irradiation on the phenotypic and molecular variation of wheat
title_full The impact of carbon-ion beam irradiation on the phenotypic and molecular variation of wheat
title_fullStr The impact of carbon-ion beam irradiation on the phenotypic and molecular variation of wheat
title_full_unstemmed The impact of carbon-ion beam irradiation on the phenotypic and molecular variation of wheat
title_short The impact of carbon-ion beam irradiation on the phenotypic and molecular variation of wheat
title_sort impact of carbon ion beam irradiation on the phenotypic and molecular variation of wheat
topic Biological effects
Carbon-ion beam irradiation
Metabolome analysis
Phenotypic variation
Transcriptome sequencing
Wheat
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-07097-2
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