The Potential of Transcription Factor-Based Genetic Engineering in Improving Crop Tolerance to Drought

Abstract

Drought is one of the major constraints in crop production and has an effect on a global scale. In order to improve crop production, it is necessary to understand how plants respond to stress. A good understanding of regulatory mechanisms involved in plant responses during drought will enable researchers to explore and manipulate key regulatory points in order to enhance stress tolerance in crops. Transcription factors (TFs) have played an important role in crop improvement from the dawn of agriculture. TFs are therefore good candidates for genetic engineering to improve crop tolerance to drought because of their role as master regulators of clusters of genes. Many families of TFs, such as CCAAT, homeodomain, bHLH, NAC, AP2/ERF, bZIP, and WRKY have members that may have the potential to be tools for improving crop tolerance to drought. In this review, the roles of TFs as tools to improve drought tolerance in crops are discussed. The review also focuses on current strategies in the use of TFs, with emphasis on several major TF families in improving drought tolerance of major crops. Finally, many promising transgenic lines that may have improved drought responses have been poorly characterized and consequently their usefulness in the field is uncertain. New advances in high-throughput phenotyping, both greenhouse and field based, should facilitate improved phenomics of transgenic lines. Systems biology approaches should then define the underlying changes that result in higher yields under water stress conditions. These new technologies should help show whether manipulating TFs can have effects on yield under field conditions.

<strong>When water runs dry and temperature heats up: </strong><strong>Understanding the mechanisms in rice tolerance to drought and </strong><strong>high temperature stress conditions</strong>

“…Among these sciences are genomics-assisted breeding, other OMICs approaches or systems biology tools for improving crop resiliency for adverse growing environments owing to climate change (Kole et al, 2015, Rabara et al, 2014b, Tripathi et al, 2012. These tools increase the exploitability of rice genetic resources like wild rice species of which desirable traits have been incorporated in modern rice varieties through molecular approaches and tissue culture (Sanchez et al, 2013).…”

Systems Biology for Smart Crops and Agricultural Innovation: Filling the Gaps between Genotype and Phenotype for Complex Traits Linked with Robust Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability

“…Therefore, TFs are good candidates for systems-based genetic engineering to improve crop tolerance to various abiotic stresses because of their function as master regulators of clusters of genes. Various families of TFs were reported, such as CCAAT, homeodomain, NAC, bHLH, bZIP, AP2/ ERF, and WRKY that have the potential to be tools for improving abiotic stresses tolerance (Gao et al, 2010;Rabara et al, 2014;Shen et al, 2012;Ying et al, 2012;Zhang et al, 2009).…”

“…Systems biology approaches define the underlying changes that result in better yields under abiotic stress conditions. These novel technologies help to show whether manipulating TFs can have effects on crop productivity under field conditions (Rabara et al, 2014).…”

“Omics” of Maize Stress Response for Sustainable Food Production: Opportunities and Challenges

“…Thus, the functions and mechanisms of these biomolecules in the maize stress response must be verified using molecular techniques (e.g., loss-and gain-of function). Major genes that control the response to stresses can be candidates for transforming maize plants to enhance maize stress tolerance (Rabara et al, 2014). Moreover, the interaction network among RNA, DNA, and proteins should be constructed to elucidate the maize stress response.…”