General control non-repressible 20 (GCN20) functions in root growth by modulating DNA damage repair in Arabidopsis

Abstract

Background: Most ABC transporters are engaged in transport of various compounds, but its subfamily F lacks transmembrane domain essential for chemical transportation. Thus the function of subfamily F remains further elusive. Results: Here, we identified General Control Non-Repressible 20 (GCN20), a member of subfamily F, as new factor for DNA damage repair in root growth. While gcn20-1 mutant had a short primary root with reduced meristem size and cell number, similar primary root lengths were assayed in both wild-type and GCN20::GCN20 gcn20-1 plants, indicating the involvement of GCN20 in root elongation. Further experiments with EdU incorporation and comet assay demonstrated that gcn20-1 displays increased cell cycle arrest at G2/M checkpoint and accumulates more damaged DNA. This is possible due to impaired ability of DNA repair in gcn20-1 since gcn20-1 seedlings are hypersensitive to DNA damage inducers MMC and MMS compared with the wild type plants. This note was further supported by the observation that gcn20-1 is more sensitive than the wild type when subjected to UV treatment in term of changes of both fresh weight and survival rate. Conclusions: Our study indicates that GCN20 functions in primary root growth by modulating DNA damage repair in Arabidopsis. Our study will be useful to understand the functions of non-transporter ABC proteins in plant growth.