Arabidopsis YEATS domain proteins facilitate DNA double-strand break repair via homology-directed pathways
Abstract
Detecting and repairing damaged DNA is critical for maintaining cellular function. These processes occur within chromatin, yet how chromatin effectors (proteins that modulate the properties and compositions of chromatin) facilitate this process in plants remains poorly understood. Here we identified two chromatin readers, YAF9A and YAF9B, that are critical for double-strand break repair in the plant model, Arabidopsis thaliana. We further connect these activities to distinct chromatin remodeling complexes and demonstrate that the YAF9B reader domain is required for its role in promoting genome stability. These findings bridge a major gap in our understanding of chromatin mediated DNA repair in plants and highlight the importance of chromatin readers in coordinating different steps of the repair process.
DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair is required to maintain genome integrity and organismal fitness. This process occurs within chromatin and although accurate repair requires extensive changes in chromatin structure and composition, chromatin effectors facilitating DSB repair remain largely unknown in plants. Using reverse genetics, we identified two chromatin readers, YAF9A and YAF9B, as new factors required for DSB repair in Arabidopsis. While only YAF9B is induced by DNA damage, both YAF9A and YAF9B are required for DSB repair, including via homology-directed repair pathways. Mechanistically, we found YAF9A and YAF9B denote distinct remodeling complexes: While YAF9A associates with both NuA4 and SWR1, YAF9B only associates with NuA4, defining a DNA-damage-specific version of this remodeling complex and linking NuA4 to DSB repair in plants. We also uncovered direct roles for YAF9A and YAF9B in DNA repair, rather than indirect roles in gene regulation, as yaf9 mutants showed normal transcriptional responses to DNA damage. Finally, we demonstrate that the YAF9B reader domain is required for DSB repair. These results link YAF9A, YAF9B, and their respective remodeling complexes, to DSB repair in a histone reader-dependent manner, expanding our understanding of how chromatin effectors regulate DSB repair in plants.
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BibTeX
@article{vegesna2026arabidopsis,
title = {{Arabidopsis YEATS domain proteins facilitate DNA double-strand break repair via homology-directed pathways}},
author = {Neeraja Vegesna and Laura Bouza-Morcillo and Clar Bourbousse and Yasaman Jami-Alahmadi and En Li and Maherun Nisa and Marie S Palanca and James A Wohlschlegel and Julie A Law},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1073/pnas.26121711231of12},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05848276v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Arabidopsis YEATS domain proteins facilitate DNA double-strand break repair via homology-directed pathways
AU - Neeraja Vegesna
AU - Laura Bouza-Morcillo
AU - Clar Bourbousse
AU - Yasaman Jami-Alahmadi
AU - En Li
AU - Maherun Nisa
AU - Marie S Palanca
AU - James A Wohlschlegel
AU - Julie A Law
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/08
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
DO - 10.1073/pnas.26121711231of12
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05848276v1
AB - Detecting and repairing damaged DNA is critical for maintaining cellular function. These processes occur within chromatin, yet how chromatin effectors (proteins that modulate the properties and compositions of chromatin) facilitate this process in plants remains poorly understood. Here we identified two chromatin readers, YAF9A and YAF9B, that are critical for double-strand break repair in the plant model, Arabidopsis thaliana. We further connect these activities to distinct chromatin remodeling complexes and demonstrate that the YAF9B reader domain is required for its role in promoting genome stability. These findings bridge a major gap in our understanding of chromatin mediated DNA repair in plants and highlight the importance of chromatin readers in coordinating different steps of the repair process. DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair is required to maintain genome integrity and organismal fitness. This process occurs within chromatin and although accurate repair requires extensive changes in chromatin structure and composition, chromatin effectors facilitating DSB repair remain largely unknown in plants. Using reverse genetics, we identified two chromatin readers, YAF9A and YAF9B, as new factors required for DSB repair in Arabidopsis. While only YAF9B is induced by DNA damage, both YAF9A and YAF9B are required for DSB repair, including via homology-directed repair pathways. Mechanistically, we found YAF9A and YAF9B denote distinct remodeling complexes: While YAF9A associates with both NuA4 and SWR1, YAF9B only associates with NuA4, defining a DNA-damage-specific version of this remodeling complex and linking NuA4 to DSB repair in plants. We also uncovered direct roles for YAF9A and YAF9B in DNA repair, rather than indirect roles in gene regulation, as yaf9 mutants showed normal transcriptional responses to DNA damage. Finally, we demonstrate that the YAF9B reader domain is required for DSB repair. These results link YAF9A, YAF9B, and their respective remodeling complexes, to DSB repair in a histone reader-dependent manner, expanding our understanding of how chromatin effectors regulate DSB repair in plants.
SN - 0027-8424
SN - 1091-6490
ER -