Functions and Application of the AP2/ERF Transcription Factor Family in Crop Improvement^F

Abstract

You‐Zhi Ma (Corresponding author) Plants have acquired sophisticated stress response systems to adapt to changing environments. It is important to understand plants’ stress response mechanisms in the effort to improve crop productivity under stressful conditions. The AP2/ERF transcription factors are known to regulate diverse processes of plant development and stress responses. In this study, the molecular characteristics and biological functions of AP2/ERFs in a variety of plant species were analyzed. AP2/ERFs, especially those in DREB and ERF subfamilies, are ideal candidates for crop improvement because their overexpression enhances tolerances to drought, salt, freezing, as well as resistances to multiple diseases in the transgenic plants. The comprehensive analysis of physiological functions is useful in elucidating the biological roles of AP2/ERF family genes in gene interaction, pathway regulation, and defense response under stress environments, which should provide new opportunities for the crop tolerance engineering.

The draft genome of Tibetan hulless barley reveals adaptive patterns to the high stressful Tibetan Plateau

“…tauschii (1.6-fold), and Morex genomes (SI Appendix, Table S28). Extensive study revealed sound functions of both families in the regulation of responses to a wide range of abiotic and biotic stresses such as cold, drought, high salinity, heat shock, submergence, and multiple plant diseases, which made them ideal candidates for crop tolerance engineering (20,21). Furthermore, using functionally known genes as queries (7), we found 230 cold-acclimated related genes in Tibetan hulless barley, which is also more abundant than those in Ae.…”

“…This may enable Tibetan hulless barley more flexibility to regulate its adaptation to extreme environmental challenges at high altitudes. For example, the ERF and DREB transcription factors that related to biotic and biotic stresses (20,21) and cold-acclimated related genes (7) were expanded in the Tibetan hulless barley lineage (SI Appendix, Table S28). …”

Analysis of mRNA Levels of Ten Genes Under Water Stress in Triticum turgidum subsp. durum

“…It was shown that DREB factors activate the stress response through DREs in ABA-independent manner (Agarwal & Jha, 2010). However, DREB proteins have been also reported to be engaged in an ABA-mediated gene expression pathway (Fujita et al, 2011;Xu et al, 2011). A secondmember of the AP2/ERF gene family plant transcription factors are ethylene-responsive element binding factors (ERFs) (Riechmann & Meyerowitz, 1998).…”

The Hevea brasiliensis AP2/ERF superfamily: from ethylene signalling to latex harvesting and physiological disease response

“…Members of the AP2/ERF superfamily encode transcription factors involved in the regulation of biological processes, including floral and ovum development, responses to phytohormones, and adaptation to biotic and abiotic stress (Mizoi et al, 2012;Licausi et al, 2013a, Li et al, 2012Xu et al, 2011). These transcription factors were characterized by a conserved DNA-binding AP2 domain of about 60 amino acids (Ohme-Takagi & Shinshi, 1995).…”