Induction of micronuclei in plant cells after exposure to accelerated ion irradiation.

The root apex cells of Pisum sativum were irradiated in an U-240 isochronous cyclotron at the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, Kyiv. Several types of micronuclei, differing in structural peculiarities, were observed in the 84 h following exposure to beams of accelerated 1H, 4He, and 14N ions with linear energy transfer (LET) of 0.95, 9.34, and 221 keV/microns, respectively. The maximum micronucleus induction was observed after irradiation with helium ions. Results obtained show that the micronucleus assay is a responsive test for investigations of cytogenetic damage produced by high LET beams in dividing cell systems in vivo.