Plant homologue of human excision repair gene ERCC1 points to conservation of DNA repair mechanisms

• Published in: The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology Vol. 13; no. 6; pp. 823 - 829
• Main Authors: Xu, Huiling, Swoboda, Ines, Bhalla, Prem L., Sijbers, Anneke M., Zhao, Chongxin, Ong, Eng‐kok, Hoeijmakers, Jan H. J., Singh, Mohan B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science, Ltd 01.03.1998; Blackwell Science
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; CHO Cells; Conserved Sequence; Cricetinae; DNA Repair - genetics; DNA, Complementary - genetics; DNA, Complementary - isolation & purification; DNA, Plant - genetics; DNA, Plant - isolation & purification; DNA-Binding Proteins; Endonucleases - genetics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fungal Proteins - genetics; Gene Expression; Genetic Complementation Test; Humans; Liliaceae - genetics; Liliaceae - metabolism; Lilium longiflorum; Mice; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Mutagenesis. Repair; Mutation; Proteins - genetics; Proteins - metabolism; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Single-Strand Specific DNA and RNA Endonucleases; Species Specificity; Human; Monocotyledones; Excision; Nucleotide sequence; Homology; Fungi; Liliaceae; Ultraviolet irradiation; Lilium longiflorum; DNA; Angiospermae; Flower crop; Ascomycetes; Spermatophyta; Repair; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Aminoacid sequence; Thallophyta; Damaging
• ISSN: 0960-7412; 1365-313X
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-313X.1998.00081.x

Summary Nucleotide excision repair (NER), a highly versatile DNA repair mechanism, is capable of removing various types of DNA damage including those induced by UV radiation and chemical mutagens. NER has been well characterized in yeast and mammalian systems but its presence in plants has not been reported. Here it is reported that a plant gene isolated from male germline cells of lily (Lilium longiflorum) shows a striking amino acid sequence similarity to the DNA excision repair proteins human ERCC1 and yeast RAD10. Homologous genes are also shown to be present in a number of taxonomically diverse plant genera tested, suggesting that this gene may have a conserved function in plants. The protein encoded by this gene is able to correct significantly the sensitivity to the cross‐linking agent mitomycin C in ERCC1‐deficient Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. These findings suggest that the NER mechanism is conserved in yeast, animals and higher plants.