dna-repair
DNA repair is the cellular mechanism by which plants identify and correct damage to their genetic material caused by environmental stressors such as ultraviolet radiation and oxidative stress. For plants, robust DNA repair is especially critical because they cannot escape harmful environmental conditions and must maintain genomic stability across multiple growing seasons. Understanding DNA repair mechanisms is fundamental to predicting how plants respond to environmental stresses, supporting crop breeding efforts, and developing resilient varieties for changing climates.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-03-24
Heat stress increases mutation rates in plants through activation of DNA Polymerase λ, an error-prone repair enzyme preferentially expressed in stem cells. This discovery explains how plants generate genetic diversity under environmental stress, with implications for understanding crop adaptation and accelerating plant breeding programs.
Heat stress enhanced CRISPR editing efficiency up to 29.9-fold in heterochromatic regions
Heat stress shifted DNA repair outcomes toward one base pair insertions independent of chromatin state
DNA Polymerase λ is heat-inducible and enriched in shoot apical meristem, serving dual roles in maintaining genome integrity while enabling transmissible stress-induced mutations
