Polyamines alleviate the inhibitory effect of the DNA cross-linking agent mitomycin C on root growth

Abstract

Polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine) are ubiquitously present in various types of cells of living organisms. They are involved in a variety of cellular processes, including cell proliferation and cell differentiation, and are required for abiotic stress tolerances in plants. However, it is still not understood whether polyamines are involved in the plant growth inhibition caused by DNA-damaging agents. In this study, we examined the effects of polyamines on the inhibition of plant root growth and gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana treated with mitomycin C (MMC), a genotoxic agent that induces DNA interstrand crosslinks. We found that polyamines alleviated the inhibitory effect caused by MMC on root growth. In addition, we also found that polyamines alleviated the increased expression of AtBRCA1 and AtRAD51 genes induced by MMC treatment. Our study provides the first evidence that polyamines contribute to tolerance against plant-growth inhibition caused by a DNA-damaging chemical.

Cytoprotective Activity of Polyamines Is Associated with the Alternative Splicing of RAD51A Pre-mRNA in Normal Human CD4+ T Lymphocytes

“…Thus, PAs are essential for different cellular functions, including cell growth and proliferation [9]. Several works have demonstrated that PAs have antioxidative effects [10], can promote homology-directed DNA repair [11], and downregulate DNA damage-associated cell death [12,13]. Almost all cells can produce PAs, but their production is especially high in rapidly growing cells; therefore, the concentration of PAs as well as the gene expression and activity of enzymes involved in PA biosynthesis are higher in cancer tissues than in normal surrounding tissues [14][15][16].…”