ABSTRACT
Loss of genome stability leads to reduced fitness, fertility and a high mutation rate. Therefore, the genome is guarded by the pathways monitoring its integrity and neutralizing DNA lesions. To analyze the mechanism of DNA damage induction by cytidine analog zebularine, we performed a forward-directed suppressor genetic screen in the background of Arabidopsis thaliana zebularine-hypersensitive structural maintenance of chromosomes 6b (smc6b) mutant. We show that smc6b hypersensitivity was suppressed by the mutations in EQUILIBRATIVE NUCLEOSIDE TRANSPORTER 3 (ENT3), DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE 1 (MET1) and DECREASE IN DNA METHYLATION 1 (DDM1). Superior resistance of ent3 plants to zebularine indicated that ENT3 is likely necessary for the import of the drug to the cells. Identification of MET1 and DDM1 suggested that zebularine induces DNA damage by interference with the maintenance of CG DNA methylation. The same holds for structurally similar compounds 5-azacytidine and 2-deoxy-5-azacytidine. Based on our genetic and biochemical data, we propose that zebularine induces enzymatic DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs) of MET1 and zebularine-containing DNA in Arabidopsis, which was confirmed by native chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments. Moreover, zebularine-induced DPCs accumulate preferentially in 45S rDNA chromocenters in a DDM1-dependent manner. These findings open a new avenue for studying genome stability and DPC repair in plants.
Subject(s)
Cytidine/analogs & derivatives , Heterochromatin/metabolism , Mutagens/toxicity , RNA, Ribosomal/genetics , Arabidopsis , Arabidopsis Proteins/genetics , Cell Cycle Proteins/genetics , Cytidine/toxicity , DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases/genetics , DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics , Drug Resistance , Heterochromatin/drug effects , Membrane Transport Proteins/genetics , Mutation , RNA, Ribosomal/drug effects , Transcription Factors/geneticsABSTRACT
Aurora kinases are key regulators of mitosis. Multicellular eukaryotes generally possess two functionally diverged types of Aurora kinases. In plants, including Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), these are termed α- and ß-Auroras. As the functional specification of Aurora kinases is determined by their specific interaction partners, we initiated interactomics analyses using both Arabidopsis α-Aurora kinases (AUR1 and AUR2). Proteomics results revealed that TPX2-LIKE PROTEINS2 and 3 (TPXL2/3) prominently associated with α-Auroras, as did the conserved TPX2 to a lower degree. Like TPX2, TPXL2 and TPXL3 strongly activated the AUR1 kinase but exhibited cell-cycle-dependent localization differences on microtubule arrays. The separate functions of TPX2 and TPXL2/3 were also suggested by their different influences on AUR1 localization upon ectopic expressions. Furthermore, genetic analyses showed that TPXL3, but not TPX2 and TPXL2, acts nonredundantly to enable proper embryo development. In contrast to vertebrates, plants have an expanded TPX2 family and these family members have both redundant and unique functions. Moreover, as neither TPXL2 nor TPXL3 contains the C-terminal Kinesin-5 binding domain present in the canonical TPX2, the targeting and activity of this kinesin must be organized differently in plants.
