scholarly journals Computational Disorder Analysis in Ethylene Response Factors Uncovers Binding Motifs Critical to Their Diverse Functions

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolin Sun ◽  
Nawar Malhis ◽  
Bi Zhao ◽  
Bin Xue ◽  
Joerg Gsponer ◽  
...  

APETALA2/ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR transcription factors (AP2/ERFs) play crucial roles in adaptation to stresses such as those caused by pathogens, wounding and cold. Although their name suggests a specific role in ethylene signalling, some ERF members also co-ordinate signals regulated by other key plant stress hormones such as jasmonate, abscisic acid and salicylate. We analysed a set of ERF proteins from three divergent plant species for intrinsically disorder regions containing conserved segments involved in protein–protein interaction known as Molecular Recognition Features (MoRFs). Then we correlated the MoRFs identified with a number of known functional features where these could be identified. Our analyses suggest that MoRFs, with plasticity in their disordered surroundings, are highly functional and may have been shuffled between related protein families driven by selection. A particularly important role may be played by the alpha helical component of the structured DNA binding domain to permit specificity. We also present examples of computationally identified MoRFs that have no known function and provide a valuable conceptual framework to link both disordered and ordered structural features within this family to diverse function.

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Gao ◽  
Yaoxin Zhang ◽  
Zhengguo Li ◽  
Mingchun Liu

Abstract The ethylene response factors (ERFs) belong to the APETALA2/ethylene response factor (AP2/ERF) superfamily and act downstream of the ethylene signalling pathway to regulate the expression of ethylene responsive genes. In different species, ERFs have been reported to be involved in plant development, flower abscission, fruit ripening, and defense responses. In this review, based on the new progress made by recent studies, we summarize the specific role and mode of action of ERFs in regulating different aspects of ripening in both climacteric and non-climacteric fruits, and provide new insights into the role of ethylene in non-climacteric fruit ripening.


2016 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Riza Arief PUTRANTO ◽  
Pascal MONTORO

Ethylene is a hormone known for its involvement in the process of latex harvesting in Hevea brasiliensis. It facilitates latex flow by activation of endogenous metabolism in the anastomosed latex cells called laticifers. In regard to its ambivalent role, ethylene is both favourable to the latex production and unfavourable, to a certain level, to the apparition of a physiological disease termed as tapping panel dryness (TPD). Comprehensive researches have been carried out to reveal the molecular actors in ethylene biosynthesis and signalling pathways in Hevea brasiliensis. One of the most important superfamily implicated as the last transcription factor known in plant ethylene signalling is the APETALA2/ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (AP2/ERF). Currently, 114 unique sequences related to the Hevea AP2/ERF gene superfamily have been identified and characterized. Specific characterizations under the condition of harvesting stress and the occurrence of TPD have identified 36 gene expression markers (GEMs). Eighteen of these GEMs were predicted as ortholog with 19 Arabidopsis AP2/ERF genes. The characterization was mainly focused on transcriptional regulation, whilst potential post-transcriptional and post-translational regulations of HbAP2/ERF genes were formerly predicted. Three HbERF groups (HbERF-VII, HbERF-VIII and HbERF-IX) were hypothesized to have an important role in Hevea tolerance during latex production as they highly accumulated in laticifers and in response to multiple abiotic stresses. Further functional analysis of several key genes is suggested in order to fully understand the regulation of HbAP2/ERFs. Finally, the molecular markers for future Hevea breeding could be possibly developed from this superfamily.


Author(s):  
Rabia Akram ◽  
Farah Deeba ◽  
Maryam Zain ◽  
Nadia Iqbal

Abiotic and biotic stresses are the causes of drastic changes in plants growth and development.These stresses effect crop production and quality, thus result is in economic lose and food insecurity. Many factors play vital role in regulating growth of plants along with developmental pathways during biotic and abiotic stresses. Transcription factors are proteins that control physiological, developmental and stress responses in plants. Ethylene response factors belong to the biggest family of transcription factors, known to participate in various stress tolerance like drought, heat, salt and cold. They are significant regulators of plant gene expression. The objective of this review is to present how ethylene response factor family proteins became the focus of stress tolerance as well as the development and growth of plants.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 240-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajat Srivastava ◽  
Rahul Kumar

AbstractUnderstanding the molecular basis of the gene-regulatory networks underlying agronomic traits or plant responses to abiotic/biotic stresses is very important for crop improvement. In this context, transcription factors, which either singularly or in conjugation directly control the expression of many target genes, are suitable candidates for improving agronomic traits via genetic engineering. In this regard, members of one of the largest class of plant-specific APETALA2/Ethylene Response Factor (AP2/ERF) superfamily, which is implicated in various aspects of development and plant stress adaptation responses, are considered high-value targets for crop improvement. Besides their long-known regulatory roles in mediating plant responses to abiotic stresses such as drought and submergence, the novel roles of AP2/ERFs during fruit ripening or secondary metabolites production have also recently emerged. The astounding functional plasticity of AP2/ERF members is considered to be achieved by their interplay with other regulatory networks and signalling pathways. In this review, we have integrated the recently accumulated evidence from functional genomics studies and described their newly emerged functions in plants. The key structural features of AP2/ERF proteins and the modes of their action are briefly summarized. The importance of AP2/ERFs in plant development and stress responses and a summary of the event of their successful applications in crop improvement programs are also provided. Altogether, we envisage that the synthesized information presented in this review will be useful to design effective strategies for improving agronomic traits in crop plants.


2016 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Riza Arief PUTRANTO ◽  
Pascal MONTORO

Ethylene is a hormone known for its involvement in the process of latex harvesting in Hevea brasiliensis. It facilitates latex flow by activation of endogenous metabolism in the anastomosed latex cells called laticifers. In regard to its ambivalent role, ethylene is both favourable to the latex production and unfavourable, to a certain level, to the apparition of a physiological disease termed as tapping panel dryness (TPD). Comprehensive researches have been carried out to reveal the molecular actors in ethylene biosynthesis and signalling pathways in Hevea brasiliensis. One of the most important superfamily implicated as the last transcription factor known in plant ethylene signalling is the APETALA2/ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (AP2/ERF). Currently, 114 unique sequences related to the Hevea AP2/ERF gene superfamily have been identified and characterized. Specific characterizations under the condition of harvesting stress and the occurrence of TPD have identified 36 gene expression markers (GEMs). Eighteen of these GEMs were predicted as ortholog with 19 Arabidopsis AP2/ERF genes. The characterization was mainly focused on transcriptional regulation, whilst potential post-transcriptional and post-translational regulations of HbAP2/ERF genes were formerly predicted. Three HbERF groups (HbERF-VII, HbERF-VIII and HbERF-IX) were hypothesized to have an important role in Hevea tolerance during latex production as they highly accumulated in laticifers and in response to multiple abiotic stresses. Further functional analysis of several key genes is suggested in order to fully understand the regulation of HbAP2/ERFs. Finally, the molecular markers for future Hevea breeding could be possibly developed from this superfamily.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deguo Han ◽  
Jiaxin Han ◽  
Guohui Yang ◽  
Shuang Wang ◽  
Tianlong Xu ◽  
...  

Apple, as one of the most important economic forest tree species, is widely grown in the world. Abiotic stress, such as low temperature and high salt, affect apple growth and development. Ethylene response factors (ERFs) are widely involved in the responses of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, a new ethylene response factor gene was isolated from Malus baccata (L.) Borkh and designated as MbERF11. The MbERF11 gene encoded a protein of 160 amino acid residues with a theoretical isoelectric point of 9.27 and a predicated molecular mass of 17.97 kDa. Subcellular localization showed that MbERF11 was localized to the nucleus. The expression of MbERF11 was enriched in root and stem, and was highly affected by cold, salt, and ethylene treatments in M. baccata seedlings. When MbERF11 was introduced into Arabidopsis thaliana, it greatly increased the cold and salt tolerance in transgenic plant. Increased expression of MbERF11 in transgenic A. thaliana also resulted in higher activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT), higher contents of proline and chlorophyll, while malondialdehyde (MDA) content was lower, especially in response to cold and salt stress. Therefore, these results suggest that MbERF11 probably plays an important role in the response to cold and salt stress in Arabidopsis by enhancing the scavenging capability for reactive oxygen species (ROS).


2015 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 61-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul B. Larsen

Ethylene is the simplest unsaturated hydrocarbon, yet it has profound effects on plant growth and development, including many agriculturally important phenomena. Analysis of the mechanisms underlying ethylene biosynthesis and signalling have resulted in the elucidation of multistep mechanisms which at first glance appear simple, but in fact represent several levels of control to tightly regulate the level of production and response. Ethylene biosynthesis represents a two-step process that is regulated at both the transcriptional and post-translational levels, thus enabling plants to control the amount of ethylene produced with regard to promotion of responses such as climacteric flower senescence and fruit ripening. Ethylene production subsequently results in activation of the ethylene response, as ethylene accumulation will trigger the ethylene signalling pathway to activate ethylene-dependent transcription for promotion of the response and for resetting the pathway. A more detailed knowledge of the mechanisms underlying biosynthesis and the ethylene response will ultimately enable new approaches to be developed for control of the initiation and progression of ethylene-dependent developmental processes, many of which are of horticultural significance.


2017 ◽  
Vol 134 ◽  
pp. 33-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rambod Abiri ◽  
Noor Azmi Shaharuddin ◽  
Mahmood Maziah ◽  
Zetty Norhana Balia Yusof ◽  
Narges Atabaki ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Songya Ma ◽  
Huixia Li ◽  
Lan Wang ◽  
Baiyun Li ◽  
Zhengyang Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Ascorbate (Asc) is an important antioxidant in plants and humans that plays key roles in various physiological processes. Understanding the regulation of Asc content in fruit plants is important for improving plant resiliency and optimizing Asc in food. Here, we found that both the transcript level and protein abundance of Asc Mannose pathway Regulator 1 Like 1 (MdAMR1L1) was negatively associated with Asc levels during the development of apple (Malus × domestica) fruit. The overexpression or silencing of MdAMR1L1 in apple indicated that MdAMR1L1 negatively regulated Asc levels. However, in the leaves of MdAMR1L1-overexpressing apple lines, the transcript levels of the Asc synthesis gene Guanosine diphosphate-mannose pyrophosphorylase MdGMP1 were increased, while its protein levels and enzyme activity were reduced. This occurred because the MdAMR1L1 protein interacted with MdGMP1 and promoted its degradation via the ubiquitination pathway to inhibit Asc synthesis at the post-translational level. MdERF98, an apple ethylene response factor, whose transcription was modulated by Asc level, is directly bound to the promoter of MdGMP1 to promote the transcription of MdGMP1. These findings provide insights into the regulatory mechanism of Asc biosynthesis in apples and revealed potential opportunities to improve fruit Asc levels.


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