Convergent evolution of an oxidative damage tolerance mechanism preserves replication fidelity in plant organellar DNA polymerases
Abstract Plant mitochondria and chloroplasts are sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that trigger oxidative DNA lesions. Among these, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxodG) is particularly mutagenic because it exhibits ambiguous base pairing, as DNA polymerases efficiently incorporate adenine opposite 8-oxodG, leading to G·C→T·A transversions. Despite exposure to oxidative stress…