The Linker Histone GH1-HMGA1 Is Involved in Telomere Stability and DNA Damage Repair

Despite intensive searches, few proteins involved in telomere homeostasis have been identified in plants. Here, we used pull-down assays to identify potential telomeric interactors in the model plant species Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). We identified the candidate protein GH1-HMGA1 (also known as HON4), an uncharacterized linker histone protein of the High Mobility Group Protein A (HMGA) family in plants. HMGAs are architectural transcription factors and have been suggested to function in DNA damage repair, but their precise biological roles remain unclear. Here, we show that GH1-HMGA1 is required for efficient DNA damage repair and telomere integrity in Arabidopsis. GH1-HMGA1 mutants exhibit developmental and growth defects, accompanied by ploidy defects, increased telomere dysfunction-induced foci, mitotic anaphase bridges, and degraded telomeres. Furthermore, mutants have a higher sensitivity to genotoxic agents such as mitomycin C and γ-irradiation. Our work also suggests that GH1-HMGA1 is involved directly in the repair process by allowing the completion of homologous recombination.