Molecular Virology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India.
Planta. 2021 May 28;253(6):130. doi: 10.1007/s00425-021-03641-0.
This review provides insight into the roles of heterotrimeric RPA protein complexes encompassing all aspects of DNA metabolism in plants along with specific function attributed by individual subunits. It highlights research gaps that need further attention. Replication protein A (RPA), a heterotrimeric protein complex partakes in almost every aspect of DNA metabolism in eukaryotes with its principle role being a single-stranded DNA-binding protein, thereby providing stability to single-stranded (ss) DNA. Although most of our knowledge of RPA structure and its role in DNA metabolism is based on studies in yeast and animal system, in recent years, plants have also been reported to have diverse repertoire of RPA complexes (formed by combination of different RPA subunit homologs arose during course of evolution), expected to be involved in plethora of DNA metabolic activities. Here, we have reviewed all studies regarding role of RPA in DNA metabolism in plants. As combination of plant RPA complexes may vary largely depending on number of homologs of each subunit, next step for plant biologists is to develop specific functional methods for detailed analysis of biological roles of these complexes, which we have tried to formulate in our review. Besides, complete absence of any study regarding regulatory role of posttranslational modification of RPA complexes in DNA metabolism in plants, prompts us to postulate a hypothetical model of same in light of information from animal system. With our review, we envisage to stimulate the RPA research in plants to shift its course from descriptive to functional studies, thereby bringing a new angle of studying dynamic DNA metabolism in plants.
本文综述了异源三聚体 RPA 蛋白复合物在植物 DNA 代谢各个方面的作用及其特定亚基的功能，突出了需要进一步关注的研究空白。复制蛋白 A（RPA）是一种异源三聚体蛋白复合物，参与真核生物几乎所有的 DNA 代谢过程，其主要作用是单链 DNA 结合蛋白，从而为单链（ss）DNA 提供稳定性。虽然我们对 RPA 结构及其在 DNA 代谢中的作用的大部分了解都是基于酵母和动物系统的研究，但近年来，植物也被报道具有多样化的 RPA 复合物 repertoire（由进化过程中不同 RPA 亚基同源物的组合形成），预计参与多种 DNA 代谢活动。在这里，我们综述了所有关于 RPA 在植物 DNA 代谢中的作用的研究。由于植物 RPA 复合物的组合可能因每个亚基的同源物数量而异，因此植物生物学家的下一步是开发特定的功能方法来详细分析这些复合物的生物学作用，我们在综述中尝试了这种方法。此外，由于缺乏关于植物 DNA 代谢中 RPA 复合物翻译后修饰的调节作用的任何研究，我们根据动物系统的信息提出了同样的假设模型。通过我们的综述，我们希望激发植物中的 RPA 研究从描述性研究转向功能性研究，从而为研究植物中动态 DNA 代谢提供一个新的视角。
