OXR2 integrates UV-B photomorphogenic signalling, DNA repair, cell cycle regulation, and phenolic compound accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

OXR2 enhances UV-B tolerance in Arabidopsis by reducing DNA damage and maintaining cell cycle progression, with overexpressors showing improved growth under UV-B stress.

• Why it matters: Understanding how plants cope with UV-B stress is crucial for improving crop resilience amid increasing UV exposure due to climate change. Current knowledge gaps exist in the molecular mechanisms that coordinate UV-B damage responses and growth regulation, limiting targeted breeding efforts.
• What they did: The study used transgenic Arabidopsis and sunflower plants overexpressing OXR2, along with mutant analyses and transcriptomics, to investigate OXR2's role in UV-B response. Key methods included phenotypic assessments, DNA damage quantification, cell cycle analysis with PlaCCI, and gene expression profiling.
• The result: Overexpression of OXR2 improved plant growth, reduced DNA damage, and altered cell cycle arrest, establishing OXR2 as a potential target for enhancing UV-B tolerance in crops.