Recent advances in the research for the homolog of breast cancer associated gene AtROW1 in higher plants

BARD1 (BRCA1 associated RING domain protein 1), as an important animal tumor suppressor gene associated with many kinds of cancers, has been intensively studied for decades. Surprisingly, homolog of BARD1 was found in plants and it was renamed AtROW1 (repressor of Wuschel -1) according to its extremely important function with regard to plant stem cell homeostasis. Although great advances have been made in human BARD1, the function of this animal tumor-suppressor like gene in plant is not well studied and need to be further elucidated. Here, we review and summarize past and present work regarding this protein. Apart from its previously proposed role in DNA repair, recently it is found essential for shoot and root stem cell development and differentiation in plants. The study of AtROW1 in plant may provide an ideal model for further elucidating the functional mechanism of BARD1 in mammals.