Summary
Seeds of varieties L65–1237 and T219 of soybean were soaked in 20–50 ml of tritiated water (HTO) containing between 0.01 and 50 μCi/ml of tritium (T) for various periods from 24 to 142hr. Genetic damage was determined by counting the number of Y11Y11-y11y11 spots on the Y11y11 leaves. No effect was noticeable in treatments lasting up to 24hr independent of the concentration. However, somatic crossing over occurred when the seeds were treated with tritium for 92 hr or longer even with concentrations as low as 0.01 μCi/ml. The data indicate that the soybean system being used is sensitive to very low doses of beta radiation. The damage to the seeds treated with the lowest concentration was not significantly different in quality or quantity from that induced by higher concentrations. This indicates some type of saturation effect to tritium-emitted beta radiation. Analytical results showed that synthesis of organic matter and incorporation of tritium into the organic fraction was delayed until about 96 hr after the imbibition was started. This indicates a relationship between spot induction by tritium and organic synthesis.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature
Chorney, W.; Scully, N.J.; Dutton, H.J.: Radiation effect of carbon-14 and tritium on growth of soybeans. Radiation Bot. 5, 257–263 (1965)
Cleaver, J.E.; Thomas, G.H.; Burki, H.J.: Biological damage from intranuclear tritium: DNA strand breaks and their repair. Science 177, 996–998 (1972)
Deshayes, A.; Dulieu, H.: Study of two genetic chlorophyll mutants of Nicotiana tabacum L. Their genetic nature and the factors favoring them. In: Polyploidy and induced mutations in plant breeding, 85–99. Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency 1974
Gibson, D.A.; Prescott, D.M.: Induction of sister chromatid exchanges in chromosomes of rat kangaroo cells by tritium. Exp. Cell Res. 74, 399–402 (1972)
Lieberman, R.; Moghissi, A.A.: Low level counting by liquid scintillation. II. Application of emulsion in tritium measurement. Int. J. Appl. Radiat. Isotopes 21, 319–327 (1970)
Martin, G.; Prescott, D.M.: The frequency of sister chromatic exchanges following exposure to various doses of H3-thymidine or x-rays. J. Cell Biol. 21, 159–167 (1964)
Moghissi, A.A.; Bretthauer, E.W.; Compton, E.H.: Separation of water from biological and environmental samples for 3H analysis. Anal. Chem. 45, 1565–1566 (1973)
Moghissi, A.A.; Carter, M.W.: Internal standard with identical system properties for determination of liquid scintillation counting efficiency. Anal. Chem. 40, 812 (1968)
Moghissi, A.A.; Carter, M.W.: Tritium. Phoenix, Az: Messenger Graphics Publications 1973
Vig, B.K.: Increase induced by colchicine in the incidnece of somatic crossing over in Glycine max. Theoret. Appl. Genetics 41, 145–149 (1971)
Vig, B.K.: Suppression of somatic crossing over in Glycine max (L). Merrill by deoxyribose cytidine. Molec. Gen. Genetics 116, 158–165 (1972)
Vig, B.K.: Somatic crossing over in Glycine max (L.) Merrill: Effects of some inhibitors of DNA synthesis on the induction of somatic crossing over and point mutations. Genetics 73, 583–596 (1973a)
Vig, B.K.: Mitomycin C induced leaf mosaicism in Glycine max (L.) Merrill in relation to the post germination age of the seed. Theoret. Appl. Genetics 43, 27–30 (1973b)
Vig, B.K.: Somatic crossing over in Glycine max (L.) Merrill: Differential response to 3H-emitted P particles and 60Co-emitted γ-rays. Radiation Botany 14, 127–137 (1974)
Vig, B.K.: Soybean (Glycine max): A new test system for study of genetic parameters as affected by environmental mutagens. Mutation Res. 31, 49–56 (1975)
Vig, B.K.; Paddock, E.F.: Alteration by mitomycin C of spot frequencies in soybean leaves. J. Heredity 59, 225–229 (1968)
Vig, B.K.; Paddock, E.F.: Studies in the expression of somatic crossing over in Glycine max L. Theoret. Appl. Genetics 40, 316–321 (1970)
Wolff, S.: Are sister chromatid exchanges sister strand cross-overs or radiation induced exchanges? Mutation Res. 1, 337–343 (1964)
Wolff, S.; Heddle, J.: Some chromosome studies with tritiated thymidine. In: Replication and Recombination of Genetic Material, edited by Peacock, W.J.; Brock, R.D., Australian Acad. Sci., Canberra, pp. 105–113 (1968)
Zimmermann, F.K.; Schwaier, R.; Laer, U.V.: Mitotic recombination induced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with nitrous acid, diethylsulfate and carcinogenic alkylating nitrosamides. Z. Vererbungsl. 98, 230–246 (1966)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by H. Stubbe
Paper No. 515 from the Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Vig, B.K., McFarlene, J.C. Somatic crossing over in Glycine max L. (Merrill): sensitivity to and saturation of the system at low levels of tritium emitted beta-radiation. Theoret. Appl. Genetics 46, 331–337 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00281674
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00281674