Characterization of an Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA homologue to animal poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase

A full-length Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA (app) encoding a protein with high similarity (about 60%) to the catalytic domain of vertebrate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP; EC 2.4.2.30) has been cloned. The N-terminal extension of the Arabidopsis protein shows similarities with domains of different nuclear and DNA binding proteins in agreement with nuclear localization and putative function of a plant PARP. APP is encoded by a single gene mapped at the top of chromosome 4 of the Arabidopsis genome and mRNA is abundant in cell suspension culture compared to its accumulation in whole plant