In animals, DNA damage can lead to the formation of tumors. Although plants live for a long time without cancer, their growth is always hindered by many environmental factors, such as radiation, salinity, heavy metals and flooding, which can lead to DNA damage and reduce yields.
How do plants protect themselves from DNA damage?
A research team from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocessor Technology (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) offers an answer to this question. They identified a protein complex called MAC, which is essential for plant responses to DNA damage, reports Phys.org portal.
Their work was published in the journal Plant Physiology on November 4.
The researchers found that plants without a functional MAC protein complex showed growth defects and were easily damaged by methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), a chemical that causes DNA breaks.
They also found that the high boron tolerance of these MAC mutants was reduced. High boron content in soil harms crop yields and nutrients in food.
The level of MAC5A protein (part of the MAC complex) was controlled by the 26S proteasome (26SP), a molecular machine required for protein processing through direct interaction.
With the help of biochemical and Through genetic analysis, the researchers identified two protein complexes working together to protect plants from DNA damage caused by both methyl methanesulfonate and high boron.
This study uncovered the molecular mechanisms of how plants respond to DNA damage and provided a new key to improving crop production and food quality.