ABSCISIC ACID-RESPONSIVE ELEMENT BINDING PROTEIN1 (AREB1) (i.e., ABF2) is a basic domain/leucine zipper transcription factor that binds to the abscisic acid (ABA)-responsive element (ABRE) motif in the promoter region of ABA-inducible genes. Here, we show that expression of the intact AREB1 gene on its own is insufficient to lead to expression of downstream genes under normal growth conditions. To overcome the masked transactivation activity of AREB1, we created an activated form of AREB1 (AREB1DQT). AREB1DQT-overexpressing plants showed ABA hypersensitivity and enhanced drought tolerance, and eight genes with two or more ABRE motifs in the promoter regions in two groups were greatly upregulated: late embryogenesis abundant class genes and ABA-and drought stress-inducible regulatory genes. By contrast, an areb1 null mutant and a dominant loss-of-function mutant of AREB1 (AREB1:RD) with a repression domain exhibited ABA insensitivity. Furthermore, AREB1:RD plants displayed reduced survival under dehydration, and three of the eight greatly upregulated genes were downregulated, including genes for linker histone H1 and AAA ATPase, which govern gene expression and multiple cellular activities through protein folding, respectively. Thus, these data suggest that AREB1 regulates novel ABRE-dependent ABA signaling that enhances drought tolerance in vegetative tissues.

SummaryThe redundancy of genes for plant transcription factors often interferes with efforts to identify the biologic functions of such factors. We show here that four different transcription factors fused to the EAR motif, a repression domain of only 12 amino acids, act as dominant repressors in transgenic Arabidopsis and suppress the expression of speci®c target genes, even in the presence of the redundant transcription factors, with resultant dominant loss-of-function phenotypes. Chimeric EIN3, CUC1, PAP1, and AtMYB23 repressors that included the EAR motif dominantly suppressed the expression of their target genes and caused insensitivity to ethylene, cup-shaped cotyledons, reduction in the accumulation of anthocyanin, and absence of trichomes, respectively. This chimeric repressor silencing technology (CRES-T), exploiting the EAR-motif repression domain, is simple and effective and can overcome genetic redundancy. Thus, it should be useful not only for the rapid analysis of the functions of redundant plant transcription factors but also for the manipulation of plant traits via the suppression of gene expression that is regulated by speci®c transcription factors.

SummaryArabidopsis thaliana RD26 cDNA, isolated from dehydrated plants, encodes a NAC protein. Expression of the RD26 gene was induced not only by drought but also by abscisic acid (ABA) and high salinity. The RD26 protein is localized in the nucleus and its C terminal has transcriptional activity. Transgenic plants overexpressing RD26 were highly sensitive to ABA, while RD26-repressed plants were insensitive. The results of microarray analysis showed that ABA-and stress-inducible genes are upregulated in the RD26-overexpressed plants and repressed in the RD26-repressed plants. Furthermore, RD26 activated a promoter of its target gene in Arabidopsis protoplasts. These results indicate that RD26 functions as a transcriptional activator in ABAinducible gene expression under abiotic stress in plants.