Waking up Sleeping Beauty: DNA damage activates dormant stem cell division by enhancing brassinosteroid signaling.

This article, published in the Journal of Experimental Botany, explores the activation of dormant stem cell division in response to DNA damage in Arabidopsis thaliana roots. The study found that DNA damage leads to the activation of a signaling module that awakens dormant stem cells to replace those lost through DNA damage. The researchers identified the involvement of the ATM kinase and the SOG1 transcription factor in this process. Additionally, the study revealed that brassinosteroid signaling plays a role in activating stem cell division in response to DNA damage. However, there are still unanswered questions regarding the role of other hormones and the specific triggers for stem cell division. [Extracted from the article]