Differences in RAD51 transcriptional response and cell cycle dynamics reveal varying sensitivity to DNA damage among Arabidopsis thaliana root cell types

Abstract

Throughout their lifecycle, plants are subjected to DNA damage from various sources, both environmental and endogenous. Investigating the mechanisms of the DNA damage response (DDR) is essential to unravel how plants adapt to the changing environment, which can induce varying amounts of DNA damage. Using a combination of whole-mount single-molecule RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (WM-smFISH) and plant cell cycle reporter lines, we investigated the transcriptional activation of a key homologous recombination (HR) gene, RAD51, in response to increasing amounts of DNA damage in Arabidopsis thaliana roots. The results uncover consistent variations in RAD51 transcriptional response and cell cycle arrest among distinct cell types and developmental zones. Furthermore, we demonstrate that DNA damage induced by genotoxic stress results in RAD51 transcription throughout the whole cell cycle, dissociating its traditional link with S/G2 phases. This work advances the current comprehension of DNA damage response in plants by demonstrating quantitative differences in DDR activation. In addition, it reveals new associations with the cell cycle and cell types, providing crucial insights for further studies of the broader response mechanisms in plants.

Keywords

Arabidopsis thaliana; cell cycle arrest; cell cycle checkpoints; DNA damage; double-strand breaks; homologous recombination; RAD51 transcription

Published in

New Phytologist
2024, volume: 243, number: 3, pages: 966-980
Publisher: WILEY

SLU Authors

• Kutashev, Konstantin

  • Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Fonseca Cárdenas, Alejandro

  • Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Sartori, Kevin

  • Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Sicard, Adrien

  • Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Rosa, Stefanie

  • Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Botany

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19875

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/130898