SUMO E3 ligase AtMMS21 is required for normal meiosis and gametophyte development in Arabidopsis.

Background: MMS21 is a SUMO E3 ligase that is conserved in eukaryotes, and has previously been shown to be required for DNA repair and maintenance of chromosome integrity. Loss of the Arabidopsis MMS21 causes defective meristems and dwarf phenotypes.

Results: Here, we show a role for AtMMS21 during gametophyte development.

AtMMS21 regulates DNA damage response and homologous recombination repair in Arabidopsis.

DNA damage is a significant problem in living organisms and DNA repair pathways have been evolved in different species to maintain genomic stability. Here we demonstrated the molecular function of AtMMS21, a component of SMC5/6 complex, in plant DNA damage response. Compared with wild type, the AtMMS21 mutant plants show hypersensitivity in the DNA damaging treatments by MMS, cisplatin and gamma radiation.

Perturbation of auxin homeostasis caused by mitochondrial FtSH4 gene-mediated peroxidase accumulation regulates arabidopsis architecture.

Reactive oxygen species and auxin play important roles in the networks that regulate plant development and morphogenetic changes. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the interactions between them are poorly understood. This study isolated a mas (More Axillary Shoots) mutant, which was identified as an allele of the mitochondrial AAA-protease AtFtSH4, and characterized the function of the FtSH4 gene in regulating plant development by mediating the peroxidase-dependent interplay between hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and auxin homeostasis.

AtMMS21, an SMC5/6 complex subunit, is involved in stem cell niche maintenance and DNA damage responses in Arabidopsis roots.

Plants maintain stem cells in meristems to sustain lifelong growth; these stem cells must have effective DNA damage responses to prevent mutations that can propagate to large parts of the plant. However, the molecular links between stem cell functions and DNA damage responses remain largely unexplored. Here, we report that the small ubiquitin-related modifier E3 ligase AtMMS21 (for methyl methanesulfonate sensitivity gene21) acts to maintain the root stem cell niche by mediating DNA damage responses in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana).