Fatores de transcrição da família ap2/erf e resposta em plantas aos estresses abióticos / Transcription factors of the ap2/erf and plants responses to abiotic stress / Factores de transcripción de la familia ap2/erf y respuesta en plantas a estreses abióticos

RESUMO

Em seu ambiente natural, as condições de água e temperatura são altamente variáveis, e podem afetar a sobrevivência,o crescimento e reprodução das plantas. Para sobreviver em tais condições, as plantas respondem, desenvolvendouma complexa rede de sinalização em nível molecular, celular e bioquímico. A regulação gênica em nível de transcrição éum dos principais pontos no controle dos processos biológicos, sendo que os fatores de transcrição (TFs) desempenham umpapel fundamental nesse processo. A família AP2/ERF é uma grande família de TFs específico de plantas que compartilhamum domínio conservado de ligação ao DNA. Essa família de TFs incluía proteínas da subfamília DREB que desempenhamum papel crucial na resposta das plantas a estresses abióticos, reconhecendo o elemento responsivo à desidratação com ummotivo central A/GCCGAC. As proteínas da subfamília de fatores de resposta ao etileno estão envolvidas em respostas aosestresses bióticos e abióticos, reconhecendo o elemento cis-acting AGCCGCC denominado GCC-box. Nesta revisão foi discutidoo papel dos TFs AP2/ERF em condições de estresse abiótico e suas implicações funcionais em estudos de expressãogênica. A compreensão dos determinantes genéticos da tolerância aos estresses abióticos constitui um passo importante nosprogramas de melhoramento genético.

ABSTRACT

In their natural environment, temperature and water conditions are highly variable and may affect the survival,growth and reproduction of plants. In order to survive under such conditions, plants respond by developing a complexnetwork of signaling at molecular, cellular and biochemical level. The gene regulation at the transcription level is one of themajor points in the control of biological processes, and transcription factors play a key role in this process. The AP2/ERFfamily is a large family of plant-specific transcription factors that share a conserved DNA-binding domain. This transcriptionfactor family includes a subfamily of DREB proteins that plays a crucial role in the plant response to abiotic stresses, recognizingthe dehydration responsive element with a central motif A/GCCGAC. The proteins from the subfamily of ethyleneresponse factors are involved in responses to biotic and abiotic stresses recognizing the cis-acting element AGCCGCC calledGCC-box. In this review, the authors discuss the role of AP2/ERF transcription factors in abiotic stress conditions and theirfunctional implications in gene expression studies. Understanding the genetic determinants of abiotic stress tolerance is animportant step in breeding programs.

RESUMEN

In their natural environment, temperature and water conditions are highly variable and may affect the survival,growth and reproduction of plants. In order to survive under such conditions, plants respond by developing a complexnetwork of signaling at molecular, cellular and biochemical level. The gene regulation at the transcription level is one of themajor points in the control of biological processes, and transcription factors play a key role in this process. The AP2/ERFfamily is a large family of plant-specific transcription factors that share a conserved DNA-binding domain. This transcriptionfactor family includes a subfamily of DREB proteins that plays a crucial role in the plant response to abiotic stresses, recognizingthe dehydration responsive element with a central motif A/GCCGAC. The proteins from the subfamily of ethyleneresponse factors are involved in responses to biotic and abiotic stresses recognizing the cis-acting element AGCCGCC calledGCC-box. In this review, the authors discuss the role of AP2/ERF transcription factors in abiotic stress conditions and theirfunctional implications in gene expression studies. Understanding the genetic determinants of abiotic stress tolerance is animportant step in breeding programs constituye un paso importante en los programas de mejoramiento genético.