ATR — Arabidopsis thaliana

Summary

AT5G40820, known as ATR (Ataxia Telangiectasia-Mutated and RAD3-Related), encodes a serine/threonine protein kinase (EC 2.7.11.1) with a PI3/4-kinase catalytic domain and FAT/FATC domains. In Arabidopsis thaliana, ATR is localized to the nucleus and plasmodesmata and is associated with the DNA damage response, including replication fork arrest, cell cycle checkpoint control, bypass DNA synthesis, and telomere maintenance. The gene is linked to regulation of DNA repair, chromosome organization, and induction of programmed cell death. ATR has been connected to traits such as root length, leaf size, and responses to aluminum, boron, and UV-B radiation. It is also associated with aluminum tolerance, UV-B tolerance, telomere length maintenance, meiotic recombination, and systemic acquired resistance. Studies of related genes in other species support the family's conserved role in genome integrity.