Mechanisms Used by Plants to Cope with DNA Damage

Abstract

Because the genome stores all genetic information required for growth and development, it is of pivotal importance to maintain DNA integrity, especially during cell division, when the genome is prone to replication errors and damage. Although over the last two decades it has become evident that the basic cell cycle toolbox of plants shares several similarities with those of fungi and mammals, plants appear to have evolved a set of distinct checkpoint regulators in response to different types of DNA stress. This might be a consequence of plants' sessile lifestyle, which exposes them to a set of unique DNA damage–inducing conditions. In this review, we highlight the types of DNA stress that plants typically experience and describe the plant-specific molecular mechanisms that control cell division in response to these stresses.