Title:Transcription Factors Involved in Plant Resistance to Pathogens
VOLUME: 18 ISSUE: 4
Author(s):Lidiane L.B. Amorim, Romulo da Fonseca dos Santos, Joao Pacífico Bezerra Neto, Mauro Guida-Santos, Sergio Crovella and Ana Maria Benko-Iseppon
Affiliation:Av. Prof. Moraes Rego 1235, CEP 50.670-420, Recife, PE
Keywords:Plant defense genes, biotic stress, interactions, crosstalk.
Abstract:Phytopathogenic microorganisms have a significant influence on survival and productivity
of several crop plants. Transcription factors (TFs) are important players in the response to biotic
stresses, as insect attack and pathogen infection. In face of such adversities many TFs families have
been previously reported as differentially expressed in plants as a reaction to bacterial, fungal and viral
infection. This review highlights recent progresses in understanding the structure, function, signal
regulation and interaction of transcription factors with other proteins in response to pathogens. Hence,
we focus on three families of transcription factors: ERF, bZIP and WRKY, due to their abundance,
importance and the availability of functionally well-characterized members in response to pathogen
attack. Their roles and the possibilities related to the use of this knowledge for engineering pathogen
resistance in crop plants are also discussed.
