Transcription Factors Involved in ABA Signaling

Abstract

Abscisic acid plays an important regulatory role in seed development and adaptive responses to abiotic stresses in vegetative tissues. The major part of the ABA function entails gene expression events. Various genome-wide transcriptome analyses indicate that ABA regulates the largest number of genes among major plant hormones. Promoter analyses of the ABA-regulated genes revealed that cis-elements sharing the PyACGTGGC core sequence are present in many ABA-responsive genes. The element is generally known as ABA response element (ABRE), and a subfamily of basic leucine zipper (bZIP) proteins has been identified that mediate ABA regulation through the ABRE. Other cis-elements and cognate transcription factors (TFs) involved in ABA-dependent transcription have also been identified by traditional approaches. Additionally, numerous TFs have been reported to regulate ABA-responsive gene expression by reverse genetics means. In this article, I will review ABA-dependent transcription, focusing on the Arabidopsis TFs whose in vivo functions have been experimentally demonstrated.

Abscisic Acid and Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants

“…Thus, SnRK2s, as core components in ABA signaling, can phosphorylate both positive and negative regulators in ABA signaling network. Not all ABA-responsive genes contain ABRE(s) in their promoter regions ( Wang et al, 2011a ; Kim, 2014 ). Therefore, transcription factors recognizing non-ABRE regulatory elements such as NAC and MYC/MYB may be involved in regulating these ABA-responsive genes.…”