ERF Transcription Factor Family
The ERF family of transcription factors was first discovered in tobacco and is a large multigene family that plays important
roles in regulating a variety of plant processes . These include responses to both biotic and abiotic stresses as well as
processes during growth and development. The ERF family is part of the larger AP2/ERF superfamily that also contains the AP2
and RAV families. The superfamily is defined by the presence of the approximately 60 amino acid AP2 domain that is involved
in DNA binding and may be related to site-specific endonucleases that are found in bacteria and bacteriophages . In general,
the ERF proteins have one AP2 domain, the AP2 proteins have two and the RAV proteins contain an AP2 domain together with
another DNA binding domain, the B3 domain . Tobacco has a long history of ERF-related research, as the first four recorded
genes (EREBP1-4) were isolated from tobacco . These genes are implicated in regulating responses to pathogens and ethylene.
Other ERF genes from tobacco appear to play roles in jasmonate signaling (NtORC1 and NtJAP1) , pathogen attack (ERF5) and
osmotic stress (TSI1) and members of the DREB subfamily such as DREB1A probably play roles in dehydration and cold
responses.
- Above description taken from TOBFAC.
Notes: ERF is missed in PlantTFDB, PlnTFDD, and AtPID.
204 predicted putative ERF TF peptide,
CDS, and cDNA sequences;
blast HSP, multiple sequence alignment, and ERF phylogeny tree in
Soybean - TFKB.
We isolated some of ERF promoters, and tested in
soybean hairy root for GFP expression, and also in lima bean cotyledons for
transient expression patterns.
A graph is enclosed with 10 ERF promoter expression
to show the ERF promoters driving GFP expression intensities comparing to 35S promoters.
Last updated by Dr. Jeff Chen on July 17, 2009.