Studies on Transcriptional Regulation of Endogenous Genes by ERF2 Transcription Factor in Tobacco Cells.

Nakano, Toshitsugu; Nishiuchi, Takumi; Suzuki, Kaoru; Fujimura, Tatsuhito; Shinshi, Hideaki

In this study, we showed that overexpression of ethylene-responsive transcription factor (ERF) 2 activated the expression of endogenous genes that have the GCC box in their promoter region, in tobacco plants. These include not only a defense-related gene, CHN50, encoding class I basic chitinase, but also a transcriptional repressor gene, ERF3. In tobacco plants constitutively expressing ERF2:glucocorticoid receptor fusion protein, treatment with dexamethazone induced a rapid increase of ERF3 mRNA and a slow increase of CHN50 mRNA. These results suggest that an antagonistic interplay of ERF2 and ERF3 is involved in the transcriptional regulation of the class I basic chitinase genes in tobacco.

TRANSCRIPTION factors; TOBACCO; GENETIC repressors; PLANT genetics; RNA

Plant & Cell Physiology, 2006, Vol 47, Issue 4, p554

0032-0781

Academic Journal

10.1093/pcp/pcj017