SOG1: a master regulator of the DNA damage response in plants

The DNA damage response (DDR) is a critical mechanism to maintain the genome stability of an organism upon exposure to endogenous and exogenous DNA-damaging factors. The DDR system is particularly important for plants as these organisms, owing to their intrinsic immobility, are inevitably exposed to environmental stress factors, some of which induce DNA damage. Arabidopsis thaliana has orthologs of several DDR factors that are present in animals; however, some of the important animal regulators, such as the tumor suppressor p53 and the DDR kinases CHK1 and CHK2, have not been found in plants. These observations imply a unique DDR system in plants. The present review focuses on recent advances in our understanding of the DDR in A. thaliana and, in particular, on the function and role of SUPPRESSOR OF GAMMA RESPONSE 1 (SOG1), a plant-specific transcription factor that regulates the DDR. The most obvious response to DNA damage in A. thaliana is a rapid and robust change in the transcriptional regulation of numerous genes, in which SOG1 is an essential regulatory factor. Mutation of SOG1 causes various defects in the activation of cell cycle arrest, programmed cell death, and endoreduplication in response to DNA damage. These observations indicate that SOG1 is a master regulator of the DDR. Phylogenetic analyses of SOG1 reveal that orthologs of this crucial transcription factor are present not only in angiosperms but also in gymnosperms, suggesting that the SOG1 system is conserved across spermatophytes. Finally, future prospects for SOG1 research are also discussed.