Abscisic acid enhances DNA damage response through the nuclear shuttling of clathrin light chain 2 in plant cells.

DNA damage arises from various environmental stresses, and ABA is well known for its roles in plant stress resistance. However, its function in plant DNA damage tolerance remains unclear. In this study, we showed that ABA supplementation significantly enhances plant tolerance to DNA-damaging treatments. SnRK2.2 and SnRK2.3 kinases in the ABA signaling pathway are pivotal in this process. These kinases interact with clathrin light chain 2 (CLC2), facilitating its phosphorylation and nuclear translocation in response to Zeocin and ABA treatment. In the nucleus, CLC2 interacts with ADA2b, an adaptor protein crucial for recruiting SMC5/6 complex to the double-strand break (DSB) sites. The enhanced nuclear localization of CLC2 is essential for the accurate localization of ADA2b at DSB sites. Collectively, our study uncovers that ABA enhances plant DNA damage tolerance with a distinct function of CLC2 in genomic stability maintaining, thereby improving our understanding of DNA damage tolerance mechanisms in plants.