DNA repair under heat: DNA Polymerase λ modulates heat stress-induced mutagenesis in plants.
Wootan CM, Lutterman J, Springer N, Xu X, Zhang F
Climate Adaptation
As summers get hotter, the vegetables and flowers in your garden are quietly accumulating more genetic mutations — and this research explains exactly how that happens and which parts of the plant pass those changes on to seeds.
When plants get too hot, their DNA gets damaged more often and repaired sloppily — leading to more mutations. Scientists found the specific protein responsible for this sloppy repair work, and showed it's most active in the growing tips of plants where new seeds and shoots are made. This means heat waves don't just stress your plants today — they can permanently change the genetics of the next generation.
Key Findings
Heat stress increased CRISPR editing efficiency by up to 29.9-fold, with the largest gains in tightly packed, hard-to-access regions of the plant genome.
DNA Polymerase lambda (Pol λ) was identified as the key enzyme responsible for shifting DNA repair toward error-prone outcomes under heat stress, driving both local and genome-wide increases in mutation rates.
Single-cell analysis showed Pol λ is concentrated in the shoot apical meristem's central zone — the stem cell hub that produces seeds — suggesting heat-induced mutations can be inherited by offspring.
chevron_right Technical Summary
When plants experience heat stress, a specific error-prone DNA repair enzyme called DNA Polymerase lambda drives higher mutation rates — especially in hard-to-repair regions of the genome. This discovery reveals a molecular mechanism by which heat stress generates heritable genetic variation in plants.
Abstract Preview
Mutation rates often rise under environmental stress, a process known as stress-induced mutagenesis. Among abiotic factors, heat stress is a potent driver that elevates mutation rates and enhances ...
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