Zinc-Finger Motifs Unique To Arabidopsis Thaliana Paralogs Rpa1C And Rpa1E Are Required For Rpa-Dependent DNA Repair

RPA is a heterotrimeric ssDNA binding protein that is highly conserved across all eukaryotes. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) has five RPA1 paralogs divided into three groups (A, B, C) each with unique functions in DNA replication and repair. The group C paralogs (RPA1C and RPA1E in Arabidopsis) function specifically in DNA-damage repair and carry a C-terminal extension unique to group-C paralogs. This C-terminal extension contains a zinc finger motif (ZFM) that is highly conserved and is therefore predicted to be critical to the functionality of the paralogs during DNA damage repair. To address this, we employed a CRISPR-Cas9 strategy to specifically remove the ZFM from RPA1C or RPA1E while leaving the genes otherwise intact (termed C-ZFKO and E-ZFKO). C-ZFKO and E-ZFKO lines were challenged with DNA damaging agents, and their susceptibility was compared to both WT (Col-0) lines and to previously characterized T-DNA null mutants (rpa1c and rpa1e). To address the role of the respective ZFMs in homologous recombination pathways (HRR), we employed a GUS-reporter system to compare WT lines to C-ZFKO and E-ZFKO lines. We find here that C-ZFKO and E-ZFKO lines displayed hypersensitivity to DNA damaging agents at a level comparable to previously characterized T-DNA null mutants (rpa1c and rpa1e). When studying the rate of HRR, both C-ZFKO and rpa1c showed a drastic reduction in single-strand annealing (SSA) while E-ZFKO and rpa1e had a more modest, but still significant decrease. All mutant lines had a comparable decrease in synthesis-dependent strand annealing (SDSA) compared to WT. Thus, we show here that the respective RPA1C and RPA1E-encoded ZFM is crucial for the ability of each paralog to function during DNA damage repair.