DNA Damaging Agents Induce RNA Structural and Transcriptional Changes for Genes Associated with Redox Homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana

Living organisms are constantly exposed to various DNA damaging agents. While the mechanisms of DNA damage and DNA repair are well understood, the impact of these agents on RNA secondary structure and subsequent function remains elusive. In this study, we explore the effects of DNA damaging reagent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) on arabidopsis gene expression and RNA secondary structure using the dimethyl sulfate (DMS) mutational profiling with sequencing (DMS-MaPseq) method. Our analyses reveal that changes in transcriptional levels and mRNA structure are key factors in response to DNA damaging agents. MMS treatment leads to the up-regulation of arabidopsis <i>RBOHs</i> (respiratory burst oxidase homologues) and alteration in the RNA secondary structure of <i>GSTF9</i> and <i>GSTF10</i>, thereby enhancing mRNA translation efficiency. Redox homeostasis manipulated by RBOHs and GSTFs plays a crucial role in MMS-induced primary root growth inhibition. In conclusion, our findings shed light on the effects of DNA damaging agents on RNA structure and potential mRNA translation, which provide a new insight to understand the mechanism of DNA damage.