Ethylene Response Factors: A Key Regulatory Hub in Hormone and Stress Signaling

Abstract

ORCID IDs: 0000-0001-7494-6841 (M.M.); 0000-0001-6523-6848 (S.M.-B.).Ethylene is essential for many developmental processes and a key mediator of biotic and abiotic stress responses in plants. The ethylene signaling and response pathway includes Ethylene Response Factors (ERFs), which belong to the transcription factor family APETALA2/ERF. It is well known that ERFs regulate molecular response to pathogen attack by binding to sequences containing AGCCGCC motifs (the GCC box), a cis-acting element. However, recent studies suggest that several ERFs also bind to dehydration-responsive elements and act as a key regulatory hub in plant responses to abiotic stresses. Here, we review some of the recent advances in our understanding of the ethylene signaling and response pathway, with emphasis on ERFs and their role in hormone cross talk and redox signaling under abiotic stresses. We conclude that ERFs act as a key regulatory hub, integrating ethylene, abscisic acid, jasmonate, and redox signaling in the plant response to a number of abiotic stresses.

Root-to-Shoot Hormonal Communication in Contrasting Rootstocks Suggests an Important Role for the Ethylene Precursor Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic Acid in Mediating Plant Growth under Low-Potassium Nutrition in Tomato

“…The high ZR/Z ratio could contribute to reduce ACC concentrations, which may increase GA and Ca concentrations and improve micronutrients uptake in LcHk rootstocks under low-K. High constitutive SA and ABA or induced JA and CKs would help to decrease the ACC levels, thus would enhance macro and micronutrients uptake in HcHk rootstocks. Therefore, the results suggests that ACC-ethylene metabolism and signaling plays an important role by interacting with other plant hormones such as CKs, JA, SA, GAs, and ABA in the response to low-K probably by regulating ERF genes, as it seems to occur under other abiotic stresses (Müller and Munné-Bosch, 2015). These complex interactions affecting root development, nutrient uptake, root-shoot communication, and control of shoot growth and leaf senescence make it difficult to understand how the rootstock affects shoot performance but confirm grafting is a powerful tool to identify root traits for improving crops under abiotic stresses.…”

Transcriptional Responses in Root and Leaf of Prunus persica under Drought Stress Using RNA Sequencing

“…Likewise, most of the ethylene-responsive transcription factors (ERTs) followed the same pattern, as they are sensors of ethylene (Müller and Munné-Bosch, 2015). As ethylene has been linked to the promotion of cell senescence (Griffiths et al, 2014), we propose that the inhibition of ethylene biosynthesis is a mechanism to reduce the effects of drought, probably in coordination with NAC29, which also delays senescence (Huang et al, 2015).…”

Group VII Ethylene Response Factors in Arabidopsis: Regulation and Physiological Roles

“…Several ERF transcription factors promote the integration of intracellular stimuli (Müller and Munné-Bosch, 2015). RAP2.2 involvement in pathogen responses downstream of ethylene suggests that ERFVIIs might have emerged as bridging elements of low oxygen-and immune responses (Zhao et al, 2012).…”