BRCC36A is epistatic to BRCA1 in DNA crosslink repair and homologous recombination in Arabidopsis thaliana.

BRCA1 is a well-known tumor suppressor protein in mammals, involved in multiple cellular processes such as DNA repair, chromosome segregation and chromatin remodeling. Interestingly, homologs of BRCA1 and several of its complex partners are also found in plants. As the respective mutants are viable, in contrast to mammalian mutants, detailed analyses of their biological role is possible.

A homologue of the breast cancer-associated gene BARD1 is involved in DNA repair in plants.

hBRCA1 and hBARD1 are tumor suppressor proteins that are involved as heterodimer via ubiquitinylation in many cellular processes, such as DNA repair. Loss of BRCA1 or BARD1 results in early embryonic lethality and chromosomal instability. The Arabidopsis genome carries a BRCA1 homologue, and we were able to identify a BARD1 homologue.

FRU (BHLH029) is required for induction of iron mobilization genes in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Iron mobilization responses are induced by low iron supply at transcriptional level. In tomato, the basic helix-loop-helix gene FER is required for induction of iron mobilization. Using molecular-genetic techniques, we analyzed the function of BHLH029, named FRU (FER-like regulator of iron uptake), the Arabidopsis thaliana homolog of the tomato FER gene.

Seed-specific transcription factors ABI3 and FUS3: molecular interaction with DNA.

In Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. the seed-specific transcription factors ABI3 and FUS3 have key regulatory functions during the development of mature seeds.