Is G1 arrest in plant seeds induced by a p53-related pathway?

In mammals, p53 is crucial for inducing the genes that lead to G1 arrest fo llowing DNA damage, enabling DNA repair. However, the possibility that such a system exists in plants has attracted little attention. Even though some plant cDNA sequences with partial homology to p53 have been reported recen tly, there has been little analysis of how these molecules might relate to DNA damage. The lack of investigation into whether a DNA-damage-induced, p5 3-mediated G1-arrest pathway might exist in plants is remarkable given that plant DNA, like that of all organisms, is continually under the threat of attack.