Recent advances in understanding of the DNA double-strand break repair machinery of plants

Repair of DNA double-strand breaks in plant meiosis: role of eukaryotic RecA recombinases and their modulators

Homologous recombination during meiosis is crucial for the DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) repair that promotes the balanced segregation of homologous chromosomes and enhances genetic variation. In most eukaryotes, two recombinases RAD51 and DMC1 form nucleoprotein filaments on single-stranded DNA generated at DSB sites and play a central role in the meiotic DSB repair and genome stability. These nucleoprotein filaments perform homology search and DNA strand exchange to initiate repair using homologous template-directed sequences located elsewhere in the genome. Multiple factors can regulate the assembly, stability, and disassembly of RAD51 and DMC1 nucleoprotein filaments. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the meiotic functions of RAD51 and DMC1 and the role of their positive and negative modulators. We discuss the current models and regulators of homology searches and strand exchange conserved during plant meiosis. Manipulation of these repair factors during plant meiosis also holds a great potential to accelerate plant breeding for crop improvements and productivity.

GIP1 and GIP2 Contribute to the Maintenance of Genome Stability at the Nuclear Periphery

The maintenance of genetic information is important in eukaryotes notably through mechanisms occurring at the nuclear periphery where inner nuclear membrane proteins and nuclear pore-associated components are key factors regulating the DNA damage response (DDR). However, this aspect of DDR regulation is still poorly documented in plants. We addressed here how genomic stability is impaired in the gamma-tubulin complex component 3-interacting protein (gip1gip2) double mutants showing defective nuclear shaping. Using neutral comet assays for DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) detection, we showed that GIP1 and GIP2 act redundantly to maintain genome stability. At the cellular level, γ-H2AX foci in gip1gip2 were more abundant and heterogeneous in their size compared to wild-type (WT) in root meristematic nuclei, indicative of constitutive DNA damage. This was linked to a constitutive activation of the DDR in the gip1gip2 mutant, with more emphasis on the homologous recombination (HR) repair pathway. In addition, we noticed the presence of numerous RAD51 foci which did not colocalize with γ-H2AX foci. The expression of GIP1-GFP in the double mutant rescued the cellular response to DNA damage, leading to the systematic colocalization of RAD51 and γ-H2AX foci. Interestingly, a significant proportion of RAD51 foci colocalized with GIP1-GFP at the nuclear periphery. Altogether, our data suggest that GIPs may partly contribute to the spatio-temporal recruitment of RAD51 at the nuclear periphery.

Heterologous Complementation of SPO11-1 and -2 Depends on the Splicing Pattern

In the past, major findings in meiosis have been achieved, but questions towards the global understanding of meiosis remain concealed. In plants, one of these questions covers the need for two diverse meiotic active SPO11 proteins. In Arabidopsis and other plants, both meiotic SPO11 are indispensable in a functional form for double strand break induction during meiotic prophase I. This stands in contrast to mammals and fungi, where a single SPO11 is present and sufficient. We aimed to investigate the specific function and evolution of both meiotic SPO11 paralogs in land plants. By performing immunostaining of both SPO11-1 and -2, an investigation of the spatiotemporal localization of each SPO11 during meiosis was achieved. We further exchanged SPO11-1 and -2 in Arabidopsis and could show a species-specific function of the respective SPO11. By additional changes of regions between SPO11-1 and -2, a sequence-specific function for both the SPO11 proteins was revealed. Furthermore, the previous findings about the aberrant splicing of each SPO11 were refined by narrowing them down to a specific developmental phase. These findings let us suggest that the function of both SPO11 paralogs is highly sequence specific and that the orthologs are species specific.

It Is Just a Matter of Time: Balancing Homologous Recombination and Non-homologous End Joining at the rDNA Locus During Meiosis

Ribosomal RNA genes (rDNAs) are located in large domains of hundreds of rDNA units organized in a head-to-tail manner. The proper and stable inheritance of rDNA clusters is of paramount importance for survival. Yet, these highly repetitive elements pose a potential risk to the genome since they can undergo non-allelic exchanges. Here, we review the current knowledge of the organization of the rDNA clusters in Arabidopsis thaliana and their stability during meiosis. Recent findings suggest that during meiosis, all rDNA loci are embedded within the nucleolus favoring non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) as a repair mechanism, while DNA repair via homologous recombination (HR) appears to be a rare event. We propose a model where (1) frequent meiotic NHEJ events generate abundant single nucleotide polymorphisms and insertions/deletions within the rDNA, resulting in a heterogeneous population of rDNA units and (2) rare HR events dynamically change rDNA unit numbers, only to be observed in large populations over many generations. Based on the latest efforts to delineate the entire rDNA sequence in A. thaliana, we discuss evidence supporting this model. The results compiled so far draw a surprising picture of rDNA sequence heterogeneity between individual units. Furthermore, rDNA cluster sizes have been recognized as relatively stable when observing less than 10 generations, yet emerged as major determinant of genome size variation between different A. thaliana ecotypes. The sequencing efforts also revealed that transcripts from the diverse rDNA units yield heterogenous ribosome populations with potential functional implications. These findings strongly motivate further research to understand the mechanisms that maintain the metastable state of rDNA loci.

Stimulation of homologous recombination in plants expressing heterologous recombinases

BACKGROUND

Current excitement about the opportunities for gene editing in plants have been prompted by advances in CRISPR/Cas and TALEN technologies. CRISPR/Cas is widely used to knock-out or modify genes by inducing targeted double-strand breaks (DSBs) which are repaired predominantly by error-prone non-homologous end-joining or microhomology-mediated end joining resulting in mutations that may alter or abolish gene function. Although such mutations are random, they occur at sufficient frequency to allow useful mutations to be routinely identified by screening. By contrast, gene knock-ins to replace entire genes with alternative alleles or copies with specific characterised modifications, is not yet routinely possible. Gene replacement (or gene targeting) by homology directed repair occurs at extremely low frequency in higher plants making screening for useful events unfeasible. Homology directed repair might be increased by inhibiting non-homologous end-joining and/or stimulating homologous recombination (HR). Here we pave the way to increasing gene replacement efficiency by evaluating the effect of expression of multiple heterologous recombinases on intrachromosomal homologous recombination (ICR) in Nicotiana tabacum plants.

RESULTS

We expressed several bacterial and human recombinases in different combinations in a tobacco transgenic line containing a highly sensitive β-glucuronidase (GUS)-based ICR substrate. Coordinated simultaneous expression of multiple recombinases was achieved using the viral 2A translational recoding system. We found that most recombinases increased ICR dramatically in pollen, where HR will be facilitated by the programmed DSBs that occur during meiosis. DMC1 expression produced the greatest stimulation of ICR in primary transformants, with one plant showing a 1000-fold increase in ICR frequency. Evaluation of ICR in homozygous T2 plant lines revealed increases in ICR of between 2-fold and 380-fold depending on recombinase(s) expressed. By comparison, ICR was only moderately increased in vegetative tissues and constitutive expression of heterologous recombinases also reduced plant fertility.

CONCLUSION

Expression of heterologous recombinases can greatly increase the frequency of HR in plant reproductive tissues. Combining such recombinase expression with the use of CRISPR/Cas9 to induce DSBs could be a route to radically improving gene replacement efficiency in plants.

Roles of RAD51 and RTEL1 in telomere and rDNA stability in Physcomitrella patens

Telomeres and ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) are essential for cell survival and particularly sensitive to factors affecting genome stability. Here, we examine the role of RAD51 and its antagonist, RTEL1, in the moss Physcomitrella patens. In corresponding mutants, we analyse their sensitivity to DNA damage, the maintenance of telomeres and rDNA, and repair of double-stranded breaks (DSBs) induced by genotoxins with various modes of action. While the loss of RTEL1 results in rapid telomere shortening, concurrent loss of both RAD51 genes has no effect on telomere lengths. We further demonstrate here the linked arrangement of 5S and 45S rRNA genes in P. patens. The spacer between 5S and 18S rRNA genes, especially the region downstream from the transcription start site, shows conspicuous clustering of sites with a high propensity to form quadruplex (G4) structures. Copy numbers of 5S and 18S rDNA are reduced moderately in the pprtel1 mutant, and significantly in the double pprad51-1-2 mutant, with no progression during subsequent cultivation. While reductions in 45S rDNA copy numbers observed in pprtel1 and pprad51-1-2 plants apply also to 5S rDNA, changes in transcript levels are different for 45S and 5S rRNA, indicating their independent transcription by RNA polymerase I and III, respectively. The loss of SOL (Sog One-Like), a transcription factor regulating numerous genes involved in DSB repair, increases the rate of DSB repair in dividing as well as differentiated tissue, and through deactivation of G2/M cell-cycle checkpoint allows the cell-cycle progression manifested as a phenotype resistant to bleomycin.

The CRISPR/Cas9 system and its applications in crop genome editing

The CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR associated protein9) system is an RNA-guided genome editing tool that consists of a Cas9 nuclease and a single-guide RNA (sgRNA). By base-pairing with a DNA target sequence, the sgRNA enables Cas9 to recognize and cut a specific target DNA sequence, generating double strand breaks (DSBs) that trigger cell repair mechanisms and mutations at or near the DSBs sites. Since its discovery, the CRISPR/Cas9 system has revolutionized genome editing and is now becoming widely utilized to edit the genomes of a diverse range of crop plants. In this review, we present an overview of the CRISPR/Cas9 system itself, including its mechanism of action, system construction strategies, and the screening methods used to identify mutants containing edited genes. We evaluate recent examples of the use of CRISPR/Cas9 for crop plant improvement, and research into the function(s) of genes involved in determining crop yields, quality, environmental stress tolerance/resistance, regulation of gene transcription and translation, and the construction of mutant libraries and production of transgene-free genome-edited crops. In addition, challenges and future opportunities for the use of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in crop breeding are discussed.

DNA Break Repair in Plants and Its Application for Genome Engineering

Genome engineering is a biotechnological approach to precisely modify the genetic code of a given organism in order to change the context of an existing sequence or to create new genetic resources, e.g., for obtaining improved traits or performance. Efficient targeted genome alterations are mainly based on the induction of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) or adjacent single-strand breaks (SSBs). Naturally, all organisms continuously have to deal with DNA-damaging factors challenging the genetic integrity, and therefore a wide range of DNA repair mechanisms have evolved. A profound understanding of the different repair pathways is a prerequisite to control and enhance targeted gene modifications. DSB repair can take place by nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) or homology-dependent repair (HDR). As the main outcome of NHEJ-mediated repair is accompanied by small insertions and deletions, it is applicable to specifically knock out genes or to rearrange linkage groups or whole chromosomes. The basic requirement for HDR is the presence of a homologous template; thus this process can be exploited for targeted integration of ectopic sequences into the plant genome. The development of different types of artificial site-specific nucleases allows for targeted DSB induction in the plant genome. Such synthetic nucleases have been used for both qualitatively studying DSB repair in vivo with respect to mechanistic differences and quantitatively in order to determine the role of key factors for NHEJ and HR, respectively. The conclusions drawn from these studies allow for a better understanding of genome evolution and help identifying synergistic or antagonistic genetic interactions while supporting biotechnological applications for transiently modifying the plant DNA repair machinery in favor of targeted genome engineering.

SOG1 activator and MYB3R repressors regulate a complex DNA damage network in Arabidopsis

To combat DNA damage, organisms mount a DNA damage response (DDR) that results in cell cycle regulation, DNA repair and, in severe cases, cell death. Underscoring the importance of gene regulation in this response, studies in Arabidopsis have demonstrated that all of the aforementioned processes rely on SUPPRESSOR OF GAMMA RESPONSE 1 (SOG1), a NAC family transcription factor (TF) that has been functionally equated to the mammalian tumor suppressor, p53. However, the expression networks connecting SOG1 to these processes remain largely unknown and, although the DDR spans from minutes to hours, most transcriptomic data correspond to single time-point snapshots. Here, we generated transcriptional models of the DDR from GAMMA (γ)-irradiated wild-type and sog1 seedlings during a 24-hour time course using DREM, the Dynamic Regulatory Events Miner, revealing 11 coexpressed gene groups with distinct biological functions and cis-regulatory features. Within these networks, additional chromatin immunoprecipitation and transcriptomic experiments revealed that SOG1 is the major activator, directly targeting the most strongly up-regulated genes, including TFs, repair factors, and early cell cycle regulators, while three MYB3R TFs are the major repressors, specifically targeting the most strongly down-regulated genes, which mainly correspond to G2/M cell cycle-regulated genes. Together these models reveal the temporal dynamics of the transcriptional events triggered by γ-irradiation and connects these events to TFs and biological processes over a time scale commensurate with key processes coordinated in response to DNA damage, greatly expanding our understanding of the DDR.

Rice RAD51 paralogs play essential roles in somatic homologous recombination for DNA repair

Synthesis-dependent strand annealing (SDSA) and single-strand annealing (SSA) are the two main homologous recombination (HR) pathways in double-strand break (DSB) repair. The involvement of rice RAD51 paralogs in HR is well known in meiosis, although the molecular mechanism in somatic HR remains obscure. Loss-of-function mutants of rad51 paralogs show increased sensitivity to the DSB-inducer bleomycin, which results in greatly compromised somatic recombination efficiencies (xrcc3 in SDSA, rad51b and xrcc2 in SSA, rad51c and rad51d in both). Using immunostaining, we found that mutations in RAD51 paralogs (XRCC3, RAD51C, or RAD51D) lead to tremendous impairment in RAD51 focus formation at DSBs. Intriguingly, the RAD51C mutation has a strong effect on the protein loading of its partners (XRCC3 and RAD51B) at DSBs, which is similar to the phenomenon observed in the case of blocking PI3K-like kinases in wild-type plant. We conclude that the rice CDX3 complex acts in SDSA recombination while the BCDX2 complex acts in SSA recombination in somatic DSB repair. Importantly, RAD51C serves as a fulcrum for the local recruitment of its partners (XRCC3 for SDSA and RAD51B for SSA) and is positively modulated by PI3K-like kinases to facilitate both the SDSA and SSA pathways in RAD51 paralog-dependent somatic HR.

Histone chaperone activity of Arabidopsis thaliana NRP1 is blocked by cytochrome c

Higher-order plants and mammals use similar mechanisms to repair and tolerate oxidative DNA damage. Most studies on the DNA repair process have focused on yeast and mammals, in which histone chaperone-mediated nucleosome disassembly/reassembly is essential for DNA to be accessible to repair machinery. However, little is known about the specific role and modulation of histone chaperones in the context of DNA damage in plants. Here, the histone chaperone NRP1, which is closely related to human SET/TAF-Iβ, was found to exhibit nucleosome assembly activity in vitro and to accumulate in the chromatin of Arabidopsis thaliana after DNA breaks. In addition, this work establishes that NRP1 binds to cytochrome c, thereby preventing the former from binding to histones. Since NRP1 interacts with cytochrome c at its earmuff domain, that is, its histone-binding domain, cytochrome c thus competes with core histones and hampers the activity of NRP1 as a histone chaperone. Altogether, the results obtained indicate that the underlying molecular mechanisms in nucleosome disassembly/reassembly are highly conserved throughout evolution, as inferred from the similar inhibition of plant NRP1 and human SET/TAF-Iβ by cytochrome c during DNA damage response.

Deletion-bias in DNA double-strand break repair differentially contributes to plant genome shrinkage

In order to prevent genome instability, cells need to be protected by a number of repair mechanisms, including DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. The extent to which DSB repair, biased towards deletions or insertions, contributes to evolutionary diversification of genome size is still under debate. We analyzed mutation spectra in Arabidopsis thaliana and in barley (Hordeum vulgare) by PacBio sequencing of three DSB-targeted loci each, uncovering repair via gene conversion, single strand annealing (SSA) or nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ). Furthermore, phylogenomic comparisons between A. thaliana and two related species were used to detect naturally occurring deletions during Arabidopsis evolution. Arabidopsis thaliana revealed significantly more and larger deletions after DSB repair than barley, and barley displayed more and larger insertions. Arabidopsis displayed a clear net loss of DNA after DSB repair, mainly via SSA and NHEJ. Barley revealed a very weak net loss of DNA, apparently due to less active break-end resection and easier copying of template sequences into breaks. Comparative phylogenomics revealed several footprints of SSA in the A. thaliana genome. Quantitative assessment of DNA gain and loss through DSB repair processes suggests deletion-biased DSB repair causing ongoing genome shrinking in A. thaliana, whereas genome size in barley remains nearly constant.

Arabidopsis RAD51, RAD51C and XRCC3 proteins form a complex and facilitate RAD51 localization on chromosomes for meiotic recombination

Meiotic recombination is required for proper homologous chromosome segregation in plants and other eukaryotes. The eukaryotic RAD51 gene family has seven ancient paralogs with important roles in mitotic and meiotic recombination. Mutations in mammalian RAD51 homologs RAD51C and XRCC3 lead to embryonic lethality. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, RAD51C and XRCC3 homologs are not essential for vegetative development but are each required for somatic and meiotic recombination, but the mechanism of RAD51C and XRCC3 in meiotic recombination is unclear. The non-lethal Arabidopsis rad51c and xrcc3 null mutants provide an opportunity to study their meiotic functions. Here, we show that AtRAD51C and AtXRCC3 are components of the RAD51-dependent meiotic recombination pathway and required for normal AtRAD51 localization on meiotic chromosomes. In addition, AtRAD51C interacts with both AtRAD51 and AtXRCC3 in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that these proteins form a complex (es). Comparison of AtRAD51 foci in meiocytes from atrad51, atrad51c, and atxrcc3 single, double and triple heterozygous mutants further supports an interaction between AtRAD51C and AtXRCC3 that enhances AtRAD51 localization. Moreover, atrad51c^-/+atxrcc3^-/+ double and atrad51^-/+atrad51c^-/+atxrcc3^-/+ triple heterozygous mutants have defects in meiotic recombination, suggesting the role of the AtRAD51C-AtXRCC3 complex in meiotic recombination is in part AtRAD51-dependent. Together, our results support a model in which direct interactions between the RAD51C-XRCC3 complex and RAD51 facilitate RAD51 localization on meiotic chromosomes and RAD51-dependent meiotic recombination. Finally, we hypothesize that maintenance of RAD51 function facilitated by the RAD51C-XRCC3 complex could be highly conserved in eukaryotes.

Meiotic recombination and sister chromatid cohesion are important for maintaining the association between homologous chromosomes and ensuring their accurate segregation. Meiotic recombination starts with a set of programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), catalyzed by the SPO11 endonuclease. Processing of DSB ends produces 3′ single-stranded DNA tails, which form nucleoprotein filaments with RAD51 and DMC1, homologs of the prokaryotic RecA protein. The eukaryotic RAD51 gene family has seven ancient paralogs, in addition to RAD51 and DMC1, the other five members in mammals form two complexes: RAD51B-RAD51C-RAD51D- XRCC2 (BCDX2) and RAD51C-XRCC3 (CX3). To date, the molecular mechanism of CX3 in animal meiosis remains largely unknown due to the essential roles of these two proteins in embryo development. In Arabidopsis, RAD51C and XRCC3 are required for meiosis and fertility, but their specific mechanisms are unclear. Here we present strong evidence that Arabidopsis RAD51 forms a protein complex with AtRAD51C-AtXRCC3 in vivo. Our data also support the previous hypothesis that CX3 promotes RAD51-denpendet meiotic recombination by affecting its localization on chromosomes. Given that the RAD51, RAD51C and XRCC3 proteins are highly conserved in plants and vertebrates, the mechanism we present here could be important for the regulation of meiotic recombination in both plants and vertebrate animals.

Targeted recombination between homologous chromosomes for precise breeding in tomato

Homologous recombination (HR) between parental chromosomes occurs stochastically. Here, we report on targeted recombination between homologous chromosomes upon somatic induction of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) via CRISPR-Cas9. We demonstrate this via a visual and molecular assay whereby DSB induction between two alleles carrying different mutations in the PHYTOENE SYNTHASE (PSY1) gene results in yellow fruits with wild type red sectors forming via HR-mediated DSB repair. We also show that in heterozygote plants containing one psy1 allele immune and one sensitive to CRISPR, repair of the broken allele using the unbroken allele sequence template is a common outcome. In another assay, we show evidence of a somatically induced DSB in a cross between a psy1 edible tomato mutant and wild type Solanum pimpinellifolium, targeting only the S. pimpinellifolium allele. This enables characterization of germinally transmitted targeted somatic HR events, demonstrating that somatically induced DSBs can be exploited for precise breeding of crops.

Targeted homologous recombination between parental chromosomes could facilitate precision breeding of crop plants. Here, Filler Hayut et al. show that CRISPR-Cas9 can be used to induce DNA double strand breaks in somatic tissue and achieve targeted recombination between homologs at an endogenous locus in tomato.

The evolution of meiotic sex and its alternatives

Meiosis is an ancestral, highly conserved process in eukaryotic life cycles, and for all eukaryotes the shared component of sexual reproduction. The benefits and functions of meiosis, however, are still under discussion, especially considering the costs of meiotic sex. To get a novel view on this old problem, we filter out the most conserved elements of meiosis itself by reviewing the various modifications and alterations of modes of reproduction. Our rationale is that the indispensable steps of meiosis for viability of offspring would be maintained by strong selection, while dispensable steps would be variable. We review evolutionary origin and processes in normal meiosis, restitutional meiosis, polyploidization and the alterations of meiosis in forms of uniparental reproduction (apomixis, apomictic parthenogenesis, automixis, selfing) with a focus on plants and animals. This overview suggests that homologue pairing, double-strand break formation and homologous recombinational repair at prophase I are the least dispensable elements, and they are more likely optimized for repair of oxidative DNA damage rather than for recombination. Segregation, ploidy reduction and also a biparental genome contribution can be skipped for many generations. The evidence supports the theory that the primary function of meiosis is DNA restoration rather than recombination.

DNA transposon activity is associated with increased mutation rates in genes of rice and other grasses

DNA (class 2) transposons are mobile genetic elements which move within their ‘host' genome through excising and re-inserting elsewhere. Although the rice genome contains tens of thousands of such elements, their actual role in evolution is still unclear. Analysing over 650 transposon polymorphisms in the rice species Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima, we find that DNA repair following transposon excisions is associated with an increased number of mutations in the sequences neighbouring the transposon. Indeed, the 3,000 bp flanking the excised transposons can contain over 10 times more mutations than the genome-wide average. Since DNA transposons preferably insert near genes, this is correlated with increases in mutation rates in coding sequences and regulatory regions. Most importantly, we find this phenomenon also in maize, wheat and barley. Thus, these findings suggest that DNA transposon activity is a major evolutionary force in grasses which provide the basis of most food consumed by humankind.

DNA transposons are numerous in plant genomes. Here, Wicker et al. analyse transposon polymorphisms in rice and other grasses and show that sequences flanking excision sites contain up to 10 times more mutations than average, suggesting transposons are a major factor shaping the evolution of grass genomes.

Nucleotide excision repair by dual incisions in plants

Plants use light for photosynthesis and for various signaling purposes. The UV wavelengths in sunlight also introduce DNA damage in the form of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine (6-4) pyrimidone photoproducts [(6-4)PPs] that must be repaired for the survival of the plant. Genome sequencing has revealed the presence of genes for both CPD and (6-4)PP photolyases, as well as genes for nucleotide excision repair in plants, such as Arabidopsis and rice. Plant photolyases have been purified, characterized, and have been shown to play an important role in plant survival. In contrast, even though nucleotide excision repair gene homologs have been found in plants, the mechanism of nucleotide excision repair has not been investigated. Here we used the in vivo excision repair assay developed in our laboratory to demonstrate that Arabidopsis removes CPDs and (6-4)PPs by a dual-incision mechanism that is essentially identical to the mechanism of dual incisions in humans and other eukaryotes, in which oligonucleotides with a mean length of 26-27 nucleotides are removed by incising ∼20 phosphodiester bonds 5' and 5 phosphodiester bonds 3' to the photoproduct.

DNA repair genes RAD52 and SRS2, a cell wall synthesis regulator gene SMI1, and the membrane sterol synthesis scaffold gene ERG28 are important in efficient Agrobacterium-mediated yeast transformation with chromosomal T-DNA

Background

Plant pathogenic Agrobacterium strains can transfer T-DNA regions of their Ti plasmids to a broad range of eukaryotic hosts, including fungi, in vitro. In the recent decade, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used as a model host to reveal important host proteins for the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (AMT). Further investigation is required to understand the fundamental mechanism of AMT, including interaction at the cell surface, to expand the host range, and to develop new tools. In this study, we screened a yeast mutant library for low AMT mutant strains by advantage of a chromosome type T-DNA, which transfer is efficient and independent on integration into host chromosome.

Results

By the mutant screening, we identified four mutant strains (srs2Δ, rad52Δ, smi1Δ and erg28Δ), which showed considerably low AMT efficiency. Structural analysis of T-DNA product replicons in AMT colonies of mutants lacking each of the two DNA repair genes, SRS2 and RAD52, suggested that the genes act soon after T-DNA entry for modification of the chromosomal T-DNA to stably maintain them as linear replicons and to circularize certain T-DNA simultaneously. The cell wall synthesis regulator SMI1 might have a role in the cell surface interaction between the donor and recipient cells, but the smi1Δ mutant exhibited pleiotropic effect, i.e. low effector protein transport as well as low AMT for the chromosomal T-DNA, but relatively high AMT for integrative T-DNAs. The ergosterol synthesis regulator/enzyme-scaffold gene ERG28 probably contributes by sensing a congested environment, because growth of erg28Δ strain was unaffected by the presence of donor bacterial cells, while the growth of the wild-type and other mutant yeast strains was suppressed by their presence.

Conclusions

RAD52 and the DNA helicase/anti-recombinase gene SRS2 are necessary to form and maintain artificial chromosomes through the AMT of chromosomal T-DNA. A sterol synthesis scaffold gene ERG28 is important in the high-efficiency AMT, possibly by avoiding congestion. The involvement of the cell wall synthesis regulator SMI1 remains to be elucidated.

The recombination mediator RAD51D promotes geminiviral infection

To study a possible role for homologous recombination in geminivirus replication, we challenged Arabidopsis recombination gene knockouts by Euphorbia yellow mosaic virus infection. Our results show that the RAD51 paralog RAD51D, rather than RAD51 itself, promotes viral replication at early stages of infection. Blot hybridization analyses of replicative intermediates using one- and two-dimensional gels and deep sequencing point to an unexpected facet of recombination-dependent replication, the repair by single-strand annealing (SSA) during complementary strand replication. A significant decrease of both intramolecular, yielding defective DNAs and intermolecular recombinant molecules between the two geminiviral DNA components (A, B) were observed in the absence of RAD51D. By contrast, DNA A and B reacted differentially with the generation of inversions. A model to implicate single-strand annealing recombination in geminiviral recombination-dependent replication is proposed.

DNA damage and repair in plants - from models to crops

The genomic integrity of every organism is constantly challenged by endogenous and exogenous DNA-damaging factors. Mutagenic agents cause reduced stability of plant genome and have a deleterious effect on development, and in the case of crop species lead to yield reduction. It is crucial for all organisms, including plants, to develop efficient mechanisms for maintenance of the genome integrity. DNA repair processes have been characterized in bacterial, fungal, and mammalian model systems. The description of these processes in plants, in contrast, was initiated relatively recently and has been focused largely on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Consequently, our knowledge about DNA repair in plant genomes - particularly in the genomes of crop plants - is by far more limited. However, the relatively small size of the Arabidopsis genome, its rapid life cycle and availability of various transformation methods make this species an attractive model for the study of eukaryotic DNA repair mechanisms and mutagenesis. Moreover, abnormalities in DNA repair which proved to be lethal for animal models are tolerated in plant genomes, although sensitivity to DNA damaging agents is retained. Due to the high conservation of DNA repair processes and factors mediating them among eukaryotes, genes and proteins that have been identified in model species may serve to identify homologous sequences in other species, including crop plants, in which these mechanisms are poorly understood. Crop breeding programs have provided remarkable advances in food quality and yield over the last century. Although the human population is predicted to "peak" by 2050, further advances in yield will be required to feed this population. Breeding requires genetic diversity. The biological impact of any mutagenic agent used for the creation of genetic diversity depends on the chemical nature of the induced lesions and on the efficiency and accuracy of their repair. More recent targeted mutagenesis procedures also depend on host repair processes, with different pathways yielding different products. Enhanced understanding of DNA repair processes in plants will inform and accelerate the engineering of crop genomes via both traditional and targeted approaches.

Radiation Hybrid Map of Barley Chromosome 3H

Assembly of the barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genome is complicated by its large size (5.1 Gb) and proportion of repetitive elements (84%). This process is facilitated by high resolution maps for aligning bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) contigs along chromosomes. Available genetic maps, however, do not provide accurate information on the physical position of a large portion of the genome located in recombination-poor regions. Radiation hybrid (RH) mapping is an alternative approach, which is based on radiation-induced deletions along the length of chromosomes. In this study, the first RH map for barley chromosome 3H was developed. In total, 373 in vivo RH lines were generated by irradiating wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-barley chromosome 3H addition lines and crossing them to a normal wheat cultivar. Each RH informative line (containing deletions) had, on average, three deletions. The induced deletion size varied from 36.58 Kb to 576.00 Mb, with an average length of 52.42 Mb. This initial chromosome 3H radiation hybrid (3H-RH) map had a 9.53× higher resolution than an analogous genetic map, reaching a maximum of >262.40× resolution in regions around the centromere. The final RH map was 3066.1 cR in length, with a 0.76 Mb resolution. It was estimated that the map resolution can be improved to an average of 30.34 Kb by saturating the 3H-RH map with molecular markers. The generated RH panel enabled alignment of BAC and sequenced contigs as small as 1.50 Kb in size. The high resolution and the coverage of poor-recombination regions make RH maps an ideal resource for barley genome assembly, as well as other genetic studies.

Agrobacterium T-DNA integration into the plant genome can occur without the activity of key non-homologous end-joining proteins

Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is the major model proposed for Agrobacterium T-DNA integration into the plant genome. In animal cells, several proteins, including KU70, KU80, ARTEMIS, DNA-PKcs, DNA ligase IV (LIG4), Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM), and ATM- and Rad3-related (ATR), play an important role in 'classical' (c)NHEJ. Other proteins, including histone H1 (HON1), XRCC1, and PARP1, participate in a 'backup' (b)NHEJ process. We examined transient and stable transformation frequencies of Arabidopsis thaliana roots mutant for numerous NHEJ and other related genes. Mutants of KU70, KU80, and the plant-specific DNA Ligase VI (LIG6) showed increased stable transformation susceptibility. However, these mutants showed transient transformation susceptibility similar to that of wild-type plants, suggesting enhanced T-DNA integration in these mutants. These results were confirmed using a promoter-trap transformation vector that requires T-DNA integration into the plant genome to activate a promoterless gusA (uidA) gene, by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of Nicotiana benthamiana NHEJ genes, and by biochemical assays for T-DNA integration. No alteration in transient or stable transformation frequencies was detected with atm, atr, lig4, xrcc1, or parp1 mutants. However, mutation of parp1 caused high levels of T-DNA integration and transgene methylation. A double mutant (ku80/parp1), knocking out components of both NHEJ pathways, did not show any decrease in stable transformation or T-DNA integration. Thus, T-DNA integration does not require known NHEJ proteins, suggesting an alternative route for integration.

Homology-dependent repair is involved in 45S rDNA loss in plant CAF-1 mutants

Arabidopsis thaliana mutants in FAS1 and FAS2 subunits of chromatin assembly factor 1 (CAF1) show progressive loss of 45S rDNA copies and telomeres. We hypothesized that homology-dependent DNA damage repair (HDR) may contribute to the loss of these repeats in fas mutants. To test this, we generated double mutants by crossing fas mutants with knock-out mutants in RAD51B, one of the Rad51 paralogs of A. thaliana. Our results show that the absence of RAD51B decreases the rate of rDNA loss, confirming the implication of RAD51B-dependent recombination in rDNA loss in the CAF1 mutants. Interestingly, this effect is not observed for telomeric repeat loss, which thus differs from that acting in rDNA loss. Involvement of DNA damage repair in rDNA dynamics in fas mutants is further supported by accumulation of double-stranded breaks (measured as γ-H2AX foci) in 45S rDNA. Occurrence of the foci is not specific for S-phase, and is ATM-independent. While the foci in fas mutants occur both in the transcribed (intranucleolar) and non-transcribed (nucleoplasmic) fraction of rDNA, double fas rad51b mutants show a specific increase in the number of the intranucleolar foci. These results suggest that the repair of double-stranded breaks present in the transcribed rDNA region is RAD51B dependent and that this contributes to rDNA repeat loss in fas mutants, presumably via the single-stranded annealing recombination pathway. Our results also highlight the importance of proper chromatin assembly in the maintenance of genome stability.

Suppression of OsRAD51D results in defects in reproductive development in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The cellular roles of RAD51 paralogs in somatic and reproductive growth have been extensively described in a wide range of animal systems and, to a lesser extent, in Arabidopsis, a dicot model plant. Here, the OsRAD51D gene was identified and characterized in rice (Oryza sativa L.), a monocot model crop. In the rice genome, three alternative OsRAD51D mRNA splicing variants, OsRAD51D.1, OsRAD51D.2, and OsRAD51D.3, were predicted. Yeast two-hybrid studies, however, showed that only OsRAD51D.1 interacted with OsRAD51B and OsRAD51C paralogs, suggesting that OsRAD51D.1 is a functional OsRAD51D protein in rice. Loss-of-function osrad51d mutant rice plants displayed normal vegetative growth. However, the mutant plants were defective in reproductive growth, resulting in sterile flowers. Homozygous osrad51d mutant flowers exhibited impaired development of lemma and palea and contained unusual numbers of stamens and stigmas. During early meiosis, osrad51d pollen mother cells (PMCs) failed to form normal homologous chromosome pairings. In subsequent meiotic progression, mutant PMCs represented fragmented chromosomes. The osrad51d pollen cells contained numerous abnormal micro-nuclei that resulted in malfunctioning pollen. The abnormalities of heterozygous mutant and T2 Ubi:RNAi-OsRAD51D RNAi-knock-down transgenic plants were intermediate between those of wild type and homozygous mutant plants. The osrad51d and Ubi:RNAi-OsRAD51D plants contained longer telomeres compared with wild type plants, indicating that OsRAD51D is a negative factor for telomere lengthening. Overall, these results suggest that OsRAD51D plays a critical role in reproductive growth in rice. This essential function of OsRAD51D is distinct from Arabidopsis, in which AtRAD51D is not an essential factor for meiosis or reproductive development.

Ten years of gene discovery for meiotic event control in rice

Meiosis is the crucial process by which sexually propagating eukaryotes give rise to haploid gametes from diploid cells. Several key processes, like homologous chromosomes pairing, synapsis, recombination, and segregation, sequentially take place in meiosis. Although these widely conserved events are under both genetic and epigenetic control, the accurate details of molecular mechanisms are continuing to investigate. Rice is a good model organism for exploring the molecular mechanisms of meiosis in higher plants. So far, 28 rice meiotic genes have been characterized. In this review, we give an overview of the discovery of rice meiotic genes in the last ten years, with a particular focus on their functions in meiosis.

On the role of AtDMC1, AtRAD51 and its paralogs during Arabidopsis meiosis

Meiotic recombination plays a critical role in achieving accurate chromosome segregation and increasing genetic diversity. Many studies, mostly in yeast, have provided important insights into the coordination and interplay between the proteins involved in the homologous recombination pathway, especially the recombinase RAD51 and the meiosis-specific DMC1. Here we summarize the current progresses on the function of both recombinases and the CX3 complex encoded by AtRAD51 paralogs, in the plant model species Arabidopsis thaliana. Similarities and differences respect to the function of these proteins in other organisms are also indicated.

Multiple host-cell recombination pathways act in Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of plant cells

Using floral-dip, tumorigenesis and root callus transformation assays of both germline and somatic cells, we present here results implicating the four major non-homologous and homologous recombination pathways in Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Arabidopsis thaliana. All four single mutant lines showed similar mild reductions in transformability, but knocking out three of four pathways severely compromised Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Although integration of T-DNA into the plant genome is severely compromised in the absence of known DNA double-strand break repair pathways, it does still occur, suggesting the existence of other pathways involved in T-DNA integration. Our results highlight the functional redundancy of the four major plant recombination pathways in transformation, and provide an explanation for the lack of strong effects observed in previous studies on the roles of plant recombination functions in transformation.

The Arabidopsis RAD51 paralogs RAD51B, RAD51D and XRCC2 play partially redundant roles in somatic DNA repair and gene regulation

The eukaryotic RAD51 gene family has seven ancient paralogs conserved between plants and animals. Among these, RAD51, DMC1, RAD51C and XRCC3 are important for homologous recombination and/or DNA repair, whereas single mutants in RAD51B, RAD51D or XRCC2 show normal meiosis, and the lineages they represent diverged from each other evolutionarily later than the other four paralogs, suggesting possible functional redundancy. The function of Arabidopsis RAD51B, RAD51D and XRCC2 genes in mitotic DNA repair and meiosis was analyzed using molecular genetic, cytological and transcriptomic approaches. The relevant double and triple mutants displayed normal vegetative and reproductive growth. However, the triple mutant showed greater sensitivity than single or double mutants to DNA damage by bleomycin. RNA-Seq transcriptome analysis supported the idea that the triple mutant showed DNA damage similar to that caused by bleomycin. On bleomycin treatment, many genes were altered in the wild-type but not in the triple mutant, suggesting that the RAD51 paralogs have roles in the regulation of gene transcription, providing an explanation for the hypersensitive phenotype of the triple mutant to bleomycin. Our results provide strong evidence that Arabidopsis XRCC2, RAD51B and RAD51D have complex functions in somatic DNA repair and gene regulation, arguing for further studies of these ancient genes that have been maintained in both plants and animals during their long evolutionary history.

Zinc finger artificial transcription factor-based nearest inactive analogue/nearest active analogue strategy used for the identification of plant genes controlling homologous recombination

In previous work, we selected a particular transcription factor, designated VP16-HRU, from a pool of zinc finger artificial transcription factors (ZF-ATFs) used for genome interrogation. When expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana under control of the ribosomal protein S5A promoter, the RPS5A::VP16-HRU construct led to a 200- to 300-fold increase in the frequency of somatic intrachromosomal homologous recombination (iHR). Because the expression of each ZF-ATF leads to a large number of transcriptional changes, we designed a strategy employing a collection of structurally similar ZF-ATFs to filter out the transcriptional changes relevant to the phenotype by deep sequencing. In that manner, 30 transcripts were found to be consistently induced in plants with enhanced homologous recombination (HR). For 25 of the cognate genes, their effect on the HR process was assessed using cDNA/gDNA expression constructs. For three genes, ectopic expression indeed led to enhanced iHR frequencies, albeit much lower than the frequency observed when a HR-inducing ZF-ATF was present. Altogether, our data demonstrate that despite the large number of transcriptional changes brought about by individual ZF-ATFs, causal changes can be identified. In our case, the picture emerged that a natural regulatory switch for iHR does not exist but that ZF-ATFs-like VP16-HRU act as an ectopic master switch, orchestrating the timely expression of a set of plant genes that each by themselves only have modest effects, but when acting together support an extremely high iHR frequency.

The oxidative damage initiation hypothesis for meiosis

The maintenance of sexual reproduction in eukaryotes is still a major enigma in evolutionary biology. Meiosis represents the only common feature of sex in all eukaryotic kingdoms, and thus, we regard it a key issue for discussing its function. Almost all asexuality modes maintain meiosis either in a modified form or as an alternative pathway, and facultatively apomictic plants increase frequencies of sexuality relative to apomixis after abiotic stress. On the physiological level, abiotic stress causes oxidative stress. We hypothesize that repair of oxidative damage on nuclear DNA could be a major driving force in the evolution of meiosis. We present a hypothetical model for the possible redox chemistry that underlies the binding of the meiosis-specific protein Spo11 to DNA. During prophase of meiosis I, oxidized sites at the DNA molecule are being targeted by the catalytic tyrosine moieties of Spo11 protein, which acts like an antioxidant reducing the oxidized target. The oxidized tyrosine residues, tyrosyl radicals, attack the phosphodiester bonds of the DNA backbone causing DNA double strand breaks that can be repaired by various mechanisms. Polyploidy in apomictic plants could mitigate oxidative DNA damage and decrease Spo11 activation. Our hypothesis may contribute to explaining various enigmatic phenomena: first, DSB formation outnumbers crossovers and, thus, effective recombination events by far because the target of meiosis may be the removal of oxidative lesions; second, it offers an argument for why expression of sexuality is responsive to stress in many eukaryotes; and third, repair of oxidative DNA damage turns meiosis into an essential characteristic of eukaryotic reproduction.

Roles of XRCC2, RAD51B and RAD51D in RAD51-independent SSA recombination

The repair of DNA double-strand breaks by recombination is key to the maintenance of genome integrity in all living organisms. Recombination can however generate mutations and chromosomal rearrangements, making the regulation and the choice of specific pathways of great importance. In addition to end-joining through non-homologous recombination pathways, DNA breaks are repaired by two homology-dependent pathways that can be distinguished by their dependence or not on strand invasion catalysed by the RAD51 recombinase. Working with the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, we present here an unexpected role in recombination for the Arabidopsis RAD51 paralogues XRCC2, RAD51B and RAD51D in the RAD51-independent single-strand annealing pathway. The roles of these proteins are seen in spontaneous and in DSB-induced recombination at a tandem direct repeat recombination tester locus, both of which are unaffected by the absence of RAD51. Individual roles of these proteins are suggested by the strikingly different severities of the phenotypes of the individual mutants, with the xrcc2 mutant being the most affected, and this is confirmed by epistasis analyses using multiple knockouts. Notwithstanding their clearly established importance for RAD51-dependent homologous recombination, XRCC2, RAD51B and RAD51D thus also participate in Single-Strand Annealing recombination.

Effects of XRCC2 and RAD51B mutations on somatic and meiotic recombination in Arabidopsis thaliana

Homologous recombination is key to the maintenance of genome integrity and the creation of genetic diversity. At the mechanistic level, recombination involves the invasion of a homologous DNA template by broken DNA ends, repair of the break and exchange of genetic information between the two DNA molecules. Invasion of the template in eukaryotic cells is catalysed by the RAD51 and DMC1 recombinases, assisted by a number of accessory proteins, including the RAD51 paralogues. Eukaryotic genomes encode a variable number of RAD51 paralogues, ranging from two in yeast to five in animals and plants. The RAD51 paralogues form at least two distinct protein complexes, believed to play roles in the assembly and stabilization of the RAD51-DNA nucleofilament. Somatic recombination assays and immunocytology confirm that the three 'non-meiotic' paralogues of Arabidopsis, RAD51B, RAD51D and XRCC2, are involved in somatic homologous recombination, and that they are not required for the formation of radioinduced RAD51 foci. Given the presence of all five proteins in meiotic cells, the apparent absence of a meiotic role for RAD51B, RAD51D and XRCC2 is surprising, and perhaps simply the result of a more subtle meiotic phenotype in the mutants. Analysis of meiotic recombination confirms this, showing that the absence of XRCC2, and to a lesser extent RAD51B, but not RAD51D, increases rates of meiotic crossing over. The roles of RAD51B and XRCC2 in recombination are thus not limited to mitotic cells.

Formation of complex extrachromosomal T-DNA structures in Agrobacterium tumefaciens-infected plants

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a unique plant pathogenic bacterium renowned for its ability to transform plants. The integration of transferred DNA (T-DNA) and the formation of complex insertions in the genome of transgenic plants during A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation are still poorly understood. Here, we show that complex extrachromosomal T-DNA structures form in A. tumefaciens-infected plants immediately after infection. Furthermore, these extrachromosomal complex DNA molecules can circularize in planta. We recovered circular T-DNA molecules (T-circles) using a novel plasmid-rescue method. Sequencing analysis of the T-circles revealed patterns similar to the insertion patterns commonly found in transgenic plants. The patterns include illegitimate DNA end joining, T-DNA truncations, T-DNA repeats, binary vector sequences, and other unknown "filler" sequences. Our data suggest that prior to T-DNA integration, a transferred single-stranded T-DNA is converted into a double-stranded form. We propose that termini of linear double-stranded T-DNAs are recognized and repaired by the plant's DNA double-strand break-repair machinery. This can lead to circularization, integration, or the formation of extrachromosomal complex T-DNA structures that subsequently may integrate.

The rice RAD51C gene is required for the meiosis of both female and male gametocytes and the DNA repair of somatic cells

The RecA/RAD51 family of rice (Oryza sativa) consists of at least 13 members. However, the functions of most of these members are unknown. Here the functional characterization of one member of this family, RAD51C, is reported. Knockout (KO) of RAD51C resulted in both female and male sterility in rice. Transferring RAD51C to the RAD51C-KO line restored fertility. Cytological analyses showed that the sterility of RAD51C-KO plants was associated with abnormal early meiotic processes in both megasporocytes and pollen mother cells (PMCs). PMCs had an absence of normal pachytene chromosomes and had abnormal chromosome fragments. The RAD51C-KO line showed no obvious difference from wild-type plants in mitosis in the anther wall cells, which was consistent with the observation that the RAD51C-KO line did not have obviously abnormal morphology during vegetative development. However, the RAD51C-KO line was sensitive to different DNA-damaging agents. These results suggest that RAD51C is essential for reproductive development by regulating meiosis as well as for DNA damage repair in somatic cells.

DNA repair and crossing over favor similar chromosome regions as discovered in radiation hybrid of Triticum

BACKGROUND

The uneven distribution of recombination across the length of chromosomes results in inaccurate estimates of genetic to physical distances. In wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) chromosome 3B, it has been estimated that 90% of the cross over events occur in distal sub-telomeric regions representing 40% of the chromosome. Radiation hybrid (RH) mapping which does not rely on recombination is a strategy to map genomes and has been widely employed in animal species and more recently in some plants. RH maps have been proposed to provide i) higher and ii) more uniform resolution than genetic maps, and iii) to be independent of the distribution patterns observed for meiotic recombination. An in vivo RH panel was generated for mapping chromosome 3B of wheat in an attempt to provide a complete scaffold for this ~1 Gb segment of the genome and compare the resolution to previous genetic maps.

RESULTS

A high density RH map with 541 marker loci anchored to chromosome 3B spanning a total distance of 1871.9 cR was generated. Detailed comparisons with a genetic map of similar quality confirmed that i) the overall resolution of the RH map was 10.5 fold higher and ii) six fold more uniform. A significant interaction (r = 0.879 at p = 0.01) was observed between the DNA repair mechanism and the distribution of crossing-over events. This observation could be explained by accepting the possibility that the DNA repair mechanism in somatic cells is affected by the chromatin state in a way similar to the effect that chromatin state has on recombination frequencies in gametic cells.

CONCLUSIONS

The RH data presented here support for the first time in vivo the hypothesis of non-casual interaction between recombination hot-spots and DNA repair. Further, two major hypotheses are presented on how chromatin compactness could affect the DNA repair mechanism. Since the initial RH application 37 years ago, we were able to show for the first time that the iii) third hypothesis of RH mapping might not be entirely correct.

DNA repair and crossing over favor similar chromosome regions as discovered in radiation hybrid of Triticum

BACKGROUND

The uneven distribution of recombination across the length of chromosomes results in inaccurate estimates of genetic to physical distances. In wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) chromosome 3B, it has been estimated that 90% of the cross over events occur in distal sub-telomeric regions representing 40% of the chromosome. Radiation hybrid (RH) mapping which does not rely on recombination is a strategy to map genomes and has been widely employed in animal species and more recently in some plants. RH maps have been proposed to provide i) higher and ii) more uniform resolution than genetic maps, and iii) to be independent of the distribution patterns observed for meiotic recombination. An in vivo RH panel was generated for mapping chromosome 3B of wheat in an attempt to provide a complete scaffold for this ~1 Gb segment of the genome and compare the resolution to previous genetic maps.

RESULTS

A high density RH map with 541 marker loci anchored to chromosome 3B spanning a total distance of 1871.9 cR was generated. Detailed comparisons with a genetic map of similar quality confirmed that i) the overall resolution of the RH map was 10.5 fold higher and ii) six fold more uniform. A significant interaction (r = 0.879 at p = 0.01) was observed between the DNA repair mechanism and the distribution of crossing-over events. This observation could be explained by accepting the possibility that the DNA repair mechanism in somatic cells is affected by the chromatin state in a way similar to the effect that chromatin state has on recombination frequencies in gametic cells.

CONCLUSIONS

The RH data presented here support for the first time in vivo the hypothesis of non-casual interaction between recombination hot-spots and DNA repair. Further, two major hypotheses are presented on how chromatin compactness could affect the DNA repair mechanism. Since the initial RH application 37 years ago, we were able to show for the first time that the iii) third hypothesis of RH mapping might not be entirely correct.

The effects of gamma irradiation on growth and expression of genes encoding DNA repair-related proteins in Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra var. italica)

In this study, to elucidate the mechanisms of adaptation and tolerance to ionizing radiation in woody plants, we investigated the various biological effects of γ-rays on the Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra L. var. italica Du Roi). We detected abnormal leaf shape and color, fusion, distorted venation, shortened internode, fasciation and increased axillary shoots in γ-irradiated poplar plants. Acute γ-irradiation with a dose of 100Gy greatly reduced the height, stem diameter and biomass of poplar plantlets. After receiving doses of 200 and 300Gy, all the plantlets stopped growing, and then most of them withered after 4-10 weeks of γ-irradiation. Comet assays showed that nuclear DNA in suspension-cultured poplar cells had been damaged by γ-rays. To determine whether DNA repair-related proteins are involved in the response to γ-rays in Lombardy poplars, we cloned the PnRAD51, PnLIG4, PnKU70, PnXRCC4, PnPCNA and PnOGG1 cDNAs and investigated their mRNA expression. The PnRAD51, PnLIG4, PnKU70, PnXRCC4 and PnPCNA mRNAs were increased by γ-rays, but the PnOGG1 mRNA was decreased. Moreover, the expression of PnLIG4, PnKU70 and PnRAD51 was also up-regulated by Zeocin known as a DNA cleavage agent. These observations suggest that the morphogenesis, growth and protective gene expression in Lombardy poplars are severely affected by the DNA damage and unknown cellular events caused by γ-irradiation.

Together yes, but not coupled: new insights into the roles of RAD51 and DMC1 in plant meiotic recombination

The eukaryotic recombinases RAD51 and DMC1 are essential for DNA strand-exchange between homologous chromosomes during meiosis. RAD51 is also expressed during mitosis, and mediates homologous recombination (HR) between sister chromatids. It has been suggested that DMC1 might be involved in the switch from intersister chromatid recombination in somatic cells to interhomolog meiotic recombination. At meiosis, the Arabidopsis Atrad51 null mutant fails to synapse and has extensive chromosome fragmentation. The Atdmc1 null mutant is also asynaptic, but in this case chromosome fragmentation is absent. Thus in plants, AtDMC1 appears to be indispensable for interhomolog homologous recombination, whereas AtRAD51 seems to be more involved in intersister recombination. In this work, we have studied a new AtRAD51 knock-down mutant, Atrad51-2, which expresses only a small quantity of RAD51 protein. Atrad51-2 mutant plants are sterile and hypersensitive to DNA double-strand break induction, but their vegetative development is apparently normal. The meiotic phenotype of the mutant consists of partial synapsis, an elevated frequency of univalents, a low incidence of chromosome fragmentation and multivalent chromosome associations. Surprisingly, non-homologous chromosomes are involved in 51% of bivalents. The depletion of AtDMC1 in the Atrad51-2 background results in the loss of bivalents and in an increase of chromosome fragmentation. Our results suggest that a critical level of AtRAD51 is required to ensure the fidelity of HR during interchromosomal exchanges. Assuming the existence of asymmetrical DNA strand invasion during the initial steps of recombination, we have developed a working model in which the initial step of strand invasion is mediated by AtDMC1, with AtRAD51 required to check the fidelity of this process.

Identification of plant RAD52 homologs and characterization of the Arabidopsis thaliana RAD52-like genes

RADiation sensitive52 (RAD52) mediates RAD51 loading onto single-stranded DNA ends, thereby initiating homologous recombination and catalyzing DNA annealing. RAD52 is highly conserved among eukaryotes, including animals and fungi. This article reports that RAD52 homologs are present in all plants whose genomes have undergone extensive sequencing. Computational analyses suggest a very early RAD52 gene duplication, followed by later lineage-specific duplications, during the evolution of higher plants. Plant RAD52 proteins have high sequence similarity to the oligomerization and DNA binding N-terminal domain of RAD52 proteins. Remarkably, the two identified Arabidopsis thaliana RAD52 genes encode four open reading frames (ORFs) through differential splicing, each of which specifically localized to the nucleus, mitochondria, or chloroplast. The A. thaliana RAD52-1A ORF provided partial complementation to the yeast rad52 mutant. A. thaliana mutants and RNA interference lines defective in the expression of RAD52-1 or RAD52-2 showed reduced fertility, sensitivity to mitomycin C, and decreased levels of intrachromosomal recombination compared with the wild type. In summary, computational and experimental analyses provide clear evidence for the presence of functional RAD52 DNA-repair homologs in plants.

Genetic and epigenetic effects of plant-pathogen interactions: an evolutionary perspective

Recent reports suggest that exposure to stress is capable of influencing the frequency and pattern of inherited changes in various parts of the genome. In this review, we will discuss the influence of viral pathogens on somatic and meiotic genome stability of Nicotiana tabacum and Arabidopsis thaliana. Plants infected with a compatible pathogen generate a systemic recombination signal that precedes the spread of pathogens and results in changes in the somatic and meiotic recombination frequency. The progeny of infected plants exhibit changes in global and locus-specific DNA methylation patterns, genomic rearrangements at transgenic reporter loci and resistance gene-like-loci, and even tolerance to pathogen infection and abiotic stress. Here, we will discuss the contribution of environmental stresses to genome evolution and will focus on the role of heritable epigenetic changes in response to pathogen infection.

Breadth by depth: expanding our understanding of the repair of transposon-induced DNA double strand breaks via deep-sequencing

The transposases of DNA transposable elements catalyze the excision of the element from the host genome, but are not involved in the repair of the resulting double-strand break. To elucidate the role of various host DNA repair and damage response proteins in the repair of the hairpin-ended double strand breaks (DSBs) generated during excision of the maize Ac element in Arabidopsis thaliana, we deep-sequenced hundreds of thousands of somatic excision products from a variety of repair- or response-defective mutants. We find that each of these repair/response defects negatively affects the preservation of the ends, resulting in an enhanced frequency of deletions, insertions, and inversions at the excision site. The spectra of the resulting repair products demonstrate, not unexpectedly, that the canonical nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) proteins DNA ligase IV and KU70 play an important role in the repair of the lesion generated by Ac excision. Our data also indicate that auxiliary NHEJ repair proteins such as DNA ligase VI and DNA polymerase lambda are routinely involved in the repair of these lesions. Roles for the damage response kinases ATM and ATR in the repair of transposition-induced DSBs are also discussed.

GMI1, a structural-maintenance-of-chromosomes-hinge domain-containing protein, is involved in somatic homologous recombination in Arabidopsis

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) pose one of the most severe threats to genome integrity, potentially leading to cell death. After detection of a DSB, the DNA damage and repair response is initiated and the DSB is repaired by non-homologous end joining and/or homologous recombination. Many components of these processes are still unknown in Arabidopsis thaliana. In this work, we characterized γ-irradiation and mitomycin C induced 1 (GMI1), a member of the SMC-hinge domain-containing protein family. RT-PCR analysis and promoter-GUS fusion studies showed that γ-irradiation, the radio-mimetic drug bleocin, and the DNA cross-linking agent mitomycin C strongly enhance GMI1 expression particularly in meristematic tissues. The induction of GMI1 by γ-irradiation depends on the signalling kinase Ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) but not on ATM and Rad3-related (ATR). Epistasis analysis of single and double mutants demonstrated that ATM acts upstream of GMI1 while the atr gmi1-2 double mutant was more sensitive than the respective single mutants. Comet assay revealed a reduced rate of DNA double-strand break repair in gmi1 mutants during the early recovery phase after exposure to bleocin. Moreover, the rate of homologous recombination of a reporter construct was strongly reduced in gmi1 mutant plants upon exposure to bleocin or mitomycin C. GMI1 is the first member of its protein family known to be involved in DNA repair.

Kinetic analysis of DNA double-strand break repair pathways in Arabidopsis

Double-strand breaks in genomic DNA (DSB) are potentially lethal lesions which separate parts of chromosome arms from their centromeres. Repair of DSB by recombination can generate mutations and further chromosomal rearrangements, making the regulation of recombination and the choice of recombination pathways of the highest importance. Although knowledge of recombination mechanisms has considerably advanced, the complex interrelationships and regulation of pathways are far from being fully understood. We analyse the different pathways of DSB repair acting in G2/M phase nuclei of irradiated plants, through quantitation of the kinetics of appearance and loss of γ-H2AX foci in Arabidopsis mutants. These analyses show the roles for the four major recombination pathways in post-S-phase DSB repair and that non-homologous recombination pathways constitute the major response. The data suggest a hierarchical organisation of DSB repair in these cells: C-NHEJ acts prior to B-NHEJ which can also inhibit MMEJ. Surprisingly the quadruple ku80 xrcc1 xrcc2 xpf mutant can repair DSB, although with severely altered kinetics. This repair leads to massive genetic instability with more than 50% of mitoses showing anaphase bridges following irradiation. This study thus clarifies the relationships between the different pathways of DSB repair in the living plant and points to the existence of novel DSB repair processes.

Epigenetic control of Agrobacterium T-DNA integration

To genetically transform plants, Agrobacterium transfers its T-DNA into the host cell and integrates it into the plant genome, resulting in neoplastic growths. Over the past 2 decades, a great deal has been learned about the molecular mechanism by which Agrobacterium produces T-DNA and transports it into the host nucleus. However, T-DNA integration, which is the limiting, hence, the most critical step of the transformation process, largely remains an enigma. Increasing evidence suggests that Agrobacterium utilizes the host DNA repair machinery to facilitate T-DNA integration. Meanwhile, it is well known that chromatin modifications, including the phosphorylation of histone H2AX, play an important role in DNA repair. Thus, by implication, such epigenetic codes in chromatin may also have a considerable impact on T-DNA integration, although the direct evidence to demonstrate this hypothesis is still lacking. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in our understanding of Agrobacterium T-DNA integration and discuss the potential link between this process and the epigenetic information in the host chromatin. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Epigenetic Control of cellular and developmental processes in plants.

Homologous recombination in plants: an antireview

Homologous recombination (HR) is a central cellular process involved in many aspects of genome maintenance such as DNA repair, replication, telomere maintenance, and meiotic chromosomal segregation. HR is highly conserved among eukaryotes, contributing to genome stability as well as to the generation of genetic diversity. It has been intensively studied, for almost a century, in plants and in other organisms. In this antireview, rather than reviewing existing knowledge, we wish to underline the many open questions in plant HR. We will discuss the following issues: how do we define homology and how the degree of homology affects HR? Are there any plant-specific HR qualities, how extensive is functional conservation and did HR proteins acquire new functions? How efficient is HR in plants and what are the cis and the trans factors that regulate it? Finally, we will give the prospects for enhancing the rates of gene targeting and meiotic HR for plant breeding purposes.

Microsatellite instability in Arabidopsis increases with plant development

Plant development consists of the initial phase of intensive cell division followed by continuous genome endoreduplication, cell growth, and elongation. The maintenance of genome stability under these conditions is the main task performed by DNA repair and genome surveillance mechanisms. Our previous work showed that the rate of homologous recombination repair in older plants decreases. We hypothesized that this age-dependent decrease in the recombination rate is paralleled with other changes in DNA repair capacity. Here, we analyzed microsatellite stability using transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants that carry the nonfunctional β-glucuronidase gene disrupted by microsatellite repeats. We found that microsatellite instability increased dramatically with plant age. We analyzed the contribution of various mechanisms to microsatellite instability, including replication errors and mistakes of DNA repair mechanisms such as mismatch repair, excision repair, and strand break repair. Analysis of total DNA polymerase activity using partially purified protein extracts showed an age-dependent decrease in activity and an increase in fidelity. Analysis of the steady-state RNA level of DNA replicative polymerases α, δ, Pol I-like A, and Pol I-like B and the expression of mutS homolog 2 (Msh2) and Msh6 showed an age-dependent decrease. An in vitro repair assay showed lower efficiency of nonhomologous end joining in older plants, paralleled by an increase in Ku70 gene expression. Thus, we assume that the more frequent involvement of nonhomologous end joining in strand break repair and the less efficient end-joining repair together with lower levels of mismatch repair activities may be the main contributors to the observed age-dependent increase in microsatellite instability.

Xrcc1-dependent and Ku-dependent DNA double-strand break repair kinetics in Arabidopsis plants

Double-strand breakage (DSB) of DNA involves loss of information on the two strands of the DNA fibre and thus cannot be repaired by simple copying of the complementary strand which is possible with single-strand DNA damage. Homologous recombination (HR) can precisely repair DSB using another copy of the genome as template and non-homologous recombination (NHR) permits repair of DSB with little or no dependence on DNA sequence homology. In addition to the well-characterised Ku-dependent non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway, much recent attention has been focused on Ku-independent NHR. The complex interrelationships and regulation of NHR pathways remain poorly understood, even more so in the case of plants, and we present here an analysis of Ku-dependent and Ku-independent repair of DSB in Arabidopsis thaliana. We have characterised an Arabidopsis xrcc1 mutant and developed quantitative analysis of the kinetics of appearance and loss of γ-H2AX foci as a tool to measure DSB repair in dividing root tip cells of γ-irradiated plants in vivo. This approach has permitted determination of DSB repair kinetics in planta following a short pulse of γ-irradiation, establishing the existence of a Ku-independent, Xrcc1-dependent DSB repair pathway. Furthermore, our data show a role for Ku80 during the first minutes post-irradiation and that Xrcc1 also plays such a role, but only in the absence of Ku. The importance of Xrcc1 is, however, clearly visible at later times in the presence of Ku, showing that alternative end-joining plays an important role in DSB repair even in the presence of active NHEJ.