The influence of a protein synthesis inhibitor on sister-chromatid exchange in the plant Vicia faba

Abstract Cycloheximide strongly antagonizes the induction of sister-chromatid exchange by mitomycin C in Vicia faba root tips. This behavior is analogous to that previously observed in mammalian cells (Sono and Sakaguchi, 1981) and suggests that newly synthesized protein is also required for recombination between sister DNA molecules in plants. Conversely hydroxyurea is shown to increase the frequency of both spontaneous and induced sister-chromatid exchange. Based on these results, possible mechanisms underlying sister-chromatid exchange formation in plants are discussed with special emphasis on the absence of DNA polymerase b in somatic tissues.