Plant MYB Transcription Factors: Their Role in Drought Response Mechanisms

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Elena Baldoni¹  Annamaria Genga²  Eleonora Cominelli² 

[1]Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali—Produzione, Territorio, Agroenergia, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy

[2] E-Mail:

[3]Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, CNR, Via Bassini 15, 20133 Milano, Italy

[4] E-Mail:

关键词: MYB;    drought;    stress response;    crosstalk;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms160715811

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Water scarcity is one of the major causes of poor plant performance and limited crop yields worldwide and it is the single most common cause of severe food shortage in developing countries. Several molecular networks involved in stress perception, signal transduction and stress responses in plants have been elucidated so far. Transcription factors are major players in water stress signaling. In recent years, different MYB transcription factors, mainly in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. but also in some crops, have been characterized for their involvement in drought response. For some of them there is evidence supporting a specific role in response to water stress, such as the regulation of stomatal movement, the control of suberin and cuticular waxes synthesis and the regulation of flower development. Moreover, some of these genes have also been characterized for their involvement in other abiotic or biotic stresses, an important feature considering that in nature, plants are often simultaneously subjected to multiple rather than single environmental perturbations. This review summarizes recent studies highlighting the role of the MYB family of transcription factors in the adaptive responses to drought stress. The practical application value of MYBs in crop improvement, such as stress tolerance engineering, is also discussed.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.