The zinc finger network of plants

Abstract

The zinc finger domain enables different proteins to interact with or bind DNA, RNA, or other proteins, and is present in the proteomes of many different organisms. Proteins containing zinc finger domain(s) were found to play important roles in eukaryotic cells regulating different signal transduction pathways and controlling processes, such as development and programmed cell death. There are many types of zinc finger proteins, classified according to the number and order of the Cys and His residues that bind the Zinc ion. Among these, the C2H2-type zinc finger proteins, with 176 members in Arabidopsis thaliana, constitute one of the largest families of transcriptional regulators in plants. They are mostly plant-specific and contain a conserved QALGGH sequence within their zinc finger domain. Recent studies revealed that C2H2 zinc finger proteins could function as key transcriptional repressors involved in the defense and acclimation response of plants to different environmental stress conditions. Here we highlight recent functional characterization studies of different C2H2 proteins in Arabidopsis, and suggest that many of these proteins function as part of a large regulatory network that senses and responds to different environmental stimuli.

Constitutive Activation of Transcription Factor OsbZIP46 Improves Drought Tolerance in Rice

“…Many reports suggest that overexpression of some stress-inducible transcription factors can increase the abiotic stress tolerance of plants (Ciftci-Yilmaz and Mittler, 2008;Dubos et al, 2010;Matsukura et al, 2010;Lata and Prasad, 2011), but some special members need additional modifications to exhibit their full functions. For example, overexpression of DREB2A in transgenic plants could not improve stress tolerance, but overexpression of DREB2ACA, carrying a deletion of the central negative regulatory domain (NRD), activated the expression of many stress-inducible genes and improved tolerance to drought and heat stress in transgenic Arabidopsis (Sakuma et al, 2006a(Sakuma et al, , 2006b.…”

From network to phenotype: the dynamic wiring of an Arabidopsis transcriptional network induced by osmotic stress

“…Seven members of the proposed GRN are part of the WRKY TF family: WRKY6, WRKY15, WRKY28, WRKY30, WRKY33, WRKY40, and WRKY48, which contain a conserved sequence (WRKYGQK) followed by a zinc finger motif, enabling the binding to DNA at the position of a W‐box TTGAC(C/T) (Wu et al , 2005). Finally, three other TFs, ZAT6 and STZ, belonging to the Zinc Finger TF family (Englbrecht et al , 2004; Ciftci‐Yilmaz & Mittler, 2008; Kiełbowicz‐Matuk, 2012), and MYB51 (Stracke et al , 2001; Dubos et al , 2010), are part of the proposed mannitol‐inducible network (Appendix Table S1). …”

Stress-Responsive Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases Interact with the EAR Motif of a Poplar Zinc Finger Protein and Mediate Its Degradation through the 26S Proteasome

“…PtiZFP1 contains two zinc finger DNA-binding domains and an EAR transcriptional repression motif. This TF belongs to the Cys-2/His-2-type zinc finger protein family that was previously reported to regulate defense responses against biotic and abiotic challenges (Ciftci-Yilmaz and Mittler, 2008). A Cys-2/ His-2-type zinc finger protein was previously identified in a poplar hybrid (Populus tremula 3 Populus alba; Martin et al, 2009).…”

“…These proteins are further classified into different families, with the most studied members belonging to the C1 family (Ciftci-Yilmaz and Mittler, 2008). C1 members either possess one isolated or two to five separated zinc fingers, denoted by the acronym "i"; for example, PtiZFP1 belongs to subclass C1-2i.…”

“…S3). Among Arabidopsis candidates, AtZAT7, AtZAT10, and AtZAT12 are the most extensively characterized, as they have been associated with abiotic stress relief (Ciftci-Yilmaz and Mittler, 2008). Other members from this subclass are induced by biotic challenges, including AtZAT11 in response to Flg22 elicitor peptide (Zipfel et al, 2004).…”