Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Overview of Transposition and Recombination02:13

Overview of Transposition and Recombination

Transposons make up a significant part of genomes of various organisms. Therefore, it is believed that transposition played a major evolutionary role in speciation by changing genome sizes and modifying gene expression patterns. For example, in bacteria, transposition can lead to conferring antibiotic resistance. Movement of transposable elements within the genetic pool of pathogenic bacteria can aid in transfer of antibiotic-resistant genetic elements. In eukaryotes, transposons can carry out...
DNA-only Transposons02:57

DNA-only Transposons

DNA-only transposons are called autonomous transposons since they code for the enzyme transposase that is required for the transposition mechanism. Insertion of transposons can alter gene functions in multiple ways. They can mutate the gene, alter gene expression by introducing a novel promoter or insulator sequence, introduce new splice sites, and change the mRNA transcripts produced, or remodel chromatin structure.
The donor site from where the transposon is excised is either degraded or...
DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle02:36

DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle

In response to DNA damage, cells can pause the cell cycle to assess and repair the breaks. However, the cell must check the DNA at certain critical stages during the cell cycle. If the cell cycle pauses before DNA replication, the cells will contain twice the amount of DNA. On the other hand, if cells arrest after DNA replication but before mitosis, they will contain four times the normal amount of DNA. With a host of specialized proteins at their disposal,cells must use the right protein at...
DNA Damage Can Stall the Cell Cycle02:36

DNA Damage Can Stall the Cell Cycle

In response to DNA damage, cells can pause the cell cycle to assess and repair the breaks. However, the cell must check the DNA at certain critical stages during the cell cycle. If the cell cycle pauses before DNA replication, the cells will contain twice the amount of DNA. On the other hand, if cells arrest after DNA replication but before mitosis, they will contain four times the normal amount of DNA. With a host of specialized proteins at their disposal,cells must use the right protein at...
Translesion DNA Polymerases02:10

Translesion DNA Polymerases

Translesion (TLS) polymerases rescue stalled DNA polymerases at sites of damaged bases by replacing the replicative polymerase and installing a nucleotide across the damaged site. Doing so, TLS allows additional time for the cell to repair the damage before resuming regular DNA replication.
TLS polymerases are found in all three domains of life - archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes. Of the different classes of TLS polymerases, members of the Y family are fitted with specialized structures that...
Transposons01:24

Transposons

Transposons, or "jumping genes," are small mobile genetic elements (MGEs) that range from 700 to 40,000 base pairs in length. They are found in all organisms and can move within the same chromosome or transfer to different chromosomes. In some cases, transposons can also jump between different host DNA molecules, such as plasmids or viruses, contributing to genetic variability.Barbara McClintock first discovered these mobile genetic elements in the 1940s while studying maize genetics, and she...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A general strategy for access intrinsically antioxidant polyolefins.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Subnanometer Ru Sites on CeO<sub>2</sub> Oxygen Vacancy Clusters: A Highly Efficient and Durable Catalyst for Ammonia Decomposition.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same author

Ionic Cluster Catalyst Assembly Strategy for Ethylene Polymerization and Copolymerization.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same author

Lariat RNA debranching prevents harmful siRNA burst in plants.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same author

Steering CO<sub>2</sub> Electroreduction to Methane via Secondary-Sphere Noncovalent Interactions in NHC-Protected Copper Clusters.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2026
Same author

Nanotechnology for ischemic stroke treatment: addressing challenges across stroke management stages.

Frontiers in molecular biosciences·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Live-Cell Imaging of Transcriptional Activity at DNA Double-Strand Breaks
09:07

Live-Cell Imaging of Transcriptional Activity at DNA Double-Strand Breaks

Published on: September 20, 2021

A DNA break-5mC cycle activates transposable elements in Arabidopsis.

Wenjie Liang1, Haokai Cao1, Chen Zou1

  • 1School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|July 9, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Defective single-strand break (SSB) repair in plants triggers widespread transposable element (TE) activation and DNA methylation. This creates a cycle of DNA damage and epigenomic instability, highlighting SSB repair

Keywords:
DNA damage responseDNA methylationsingle-strand breaktransposable element

More Related Videos

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Assay for the Identification of Arabidopsis Protein-DNA Interactions In Vivo
12:36

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Assay for the Identification of Arabidopsis Protein-DNA Interactions In Vivo

Published on: January 14, 2016

Inducible, Cell Type-Specific Expression in Arabidopsis thaliana Through LhGR-Mediated Trans-Activation
09:31

Inducible, Cell Type-Specific Expression in Arabidopsis thaliana Through LhGR-Mediated Trans-Activation

Published on: April 19, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Live-Cell Imaging of Transcriptional Activity at DNA Double-Strand Breaks
09:07

Live-Cell Imaging of Transcriptional Activity at DNA Double-Strand Breaks

Published on: September 20, 2021

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Assay for the Identification of Arabidopsis Protein-DNA Interactions In Vivo
12:36

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Assay for the Identification of Arabidopsis Protein-DNA Interactions In Vivo

Published on: January 14, 2016

Inducible, Cell Type-Specific Expression in Arabidopsis thaliana Through LhGR-Mediated Trans-Activation
09:31

Inducible, Cell Type-Specific Expression in Arabidopsis thaliana Through LhGR-Mediated Trans-Activation

Published on: April 19, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Plant Molecular Biology
  • Epigenetics
  • DNA Repair Mechanisms

Background:

  • Genomic and epigenomic integrity in plants face constant threats from DNA damage.
  • The relationship between DNA damage, DNA methylation (5mC), and transposable element (TE) activity is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of single-strand break (SSB) repair in regulating TE activity and DNA methylation in *Arabidopsis*.
  • To elucidate the interplay between SSB repair, DNA methylation, and TE derepression.

Main Methods:

  • Genetic analysis of *Arabidopsis* mutants defective in ZDP/APE2, key SSB repair enzymes.
  • Assessment of TE activation using molecular assays.
  • Analysis of DNA methylation patterns (5mC) using epigenomic techniques.
  • Investigation of the ATR-SOG1 DNA damage response pathway and the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway.

Main Results:

  • Mutations in ZDP/APE2 impair 3'-blocked SSB repair, leading to genome-wide TE derepression in *Arabidopsis*.
  • Inefficient SSB repair activates the ATR-SOG1 pathway, enhancing RdDM to deposit 5mC and suppress TE activation.
  • The DNA demethylase ROS1 excises 5mC, generating SSBs that ZDP/APE2 resolves, creating a self-sustaining SSB-5mC cycle that perpetuates TE activation.

Conclusions:

  • Defective SSB repair is a potent trigger for TE activation and epigenomic instability in plants.
  • A critical mechanistic link exists between SSB repair, DNA methylation dynamics, and TE derepression.
  • The findings reveal a novel self-sustaining cycle involving SSB repair and DNA methylation that drives TE activation.