TY - JOUR
T1 - Transcription factors – Insights into abiotic and biotic stress resilience and crop improvement
AU - Bhoite, Roopali
AU - Onyemaobi, Olive
AU - Halder, Tanushree
AU - Shankar, Manisha
AU - Sharma, Darshan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025
PY - 2025/1/9
Y1 - 2025/1/9
N2 - Numerous crop traits are controlled by multiple gene-networks. These gene-networks play a crucial role in crop evolution, disease prevention, stress adaptation and other fundamental processes in different organisms. Transcription factors (TFs) are master regulators of gene-networks and therefore have been targets for genetic improvement in crops since the dawn of agriculture. Enhancement of quantitative traits through plant breeding often involves manipulation of several TF sites and altered RNA expression. Advancements in OMICS technology have significantly expanded our understanding of transcription factor (TF) binding sites in plants and their roles in various biological processes. This progress has facilitated the validation of TF-related mutations and alleles, offering breeders new opportunities to achieve rapid genetic gains in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. The crop improvements using TFs as master targets is irrespective of crop type, mode of inheritance, number of operative genes and their interactions. Here, we review some of the intensively studied families of TFs– bZIP, bHLH, NAC, ATAF, AP2/ERF, MYB, and WRKY for abiotic and biotic stress resilience in crops and their potential as targets for crop improvement. Breeders’ perspective on status and relevance of TFs in the current breeding programs, utilization of precision editing and prospects of using TFs as regular targets in future crop improvement is discussed.
AB - Numerous crop traits are controlled by multiple gene-networks. These gene-networks play a crucial role in crop evolution, disease prevention, stress adaptation and other fundamental processes in different organisms. Transcription factors (TFs) are master regulators of gene-networks and therefore have been targets for genetic improvement in crops since the dawn of agriculture. Enhancement of quantitative traits through plant breeding often involves manipulation of several TF sites and altered RNA expression. Advancements in OMICS technology have significantly expanded our understanding of transcription factor (TF) binding sites in plants and their roles in various biological processes. This progress has facilitated the validation of TF-related mutations and alleles, offering breeders new opportunities to achieve rapid genetic gains in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. The crop improvements using TFs as master targets is irrespective of crop type, mode of inheritance, number of operative genes and their interactions. Here, we review some of the intensively studied families of TFs– bZIP, bHLH, NAC, ATAF, AP2/ERF, MYB, and WRKY for abiotic and biotic stress resilience in crops and their potential as targets for crop improvement. Breeders’ perspective on status and relevance of TFs in the current breeding programs, utilization of precision editing and prospects of using TFs as regular targets in future crop improvement is discussed.
KW - CRISPR/Cas9
KW - Crop improvement
KW - Functional validation
KW - Mutation breeding
KW - Precision breeding
KW - Quantitative trait
KW - Transcription factors
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85214342422&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cpb.2025.100434
DO - 10.1016/j.cpb.2025.100434
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85214342422
SN - 2214-6628
VL - 41
JO - Current Plant Biology
JF - Current Plant Biology
M1 - 100434
ER -