Abstract
The recent advances in next-generation sequencing technologies have led to the deciphering of whole-genome sequences of several agriculturally important crops. The available genome sequences are being annotated for several important structural and functional attributes using appropriate tools of bioinformatics. Several crop-specific databases have been created for the benefit of the researchers for identifying genetic resources in terms of genes, regulatory sequences, and genomic sequences relevant for crop improvement. Identification and development of potential molecular markers associated with desirable agronomic traits is one of the major outcomes of recent genomic research being attempted in several important crops, expediting conventional plant breeding to develop good varieties. Transgenic technology relying on the identification of novel genes associated with desired traits has also been strengthened by the deciphering of whole-genome sequences. Genome mining has revealed the diversity of transcription factors (TFs) gene families among sequenced crops and has immense potential for influencing diverse metabolic and phenotypic changes. The variability among TFs is due to different DNA-binding domains (DBDs). In general, TFs have been classified into different families, some of which are ubiquitously observed in all eukaryotic systems, while many of them are plant specific with unique DBDs. Some of the commonly observed TFs reported in plants include zinc fingers, DNA binding with one finger, basic leucine zipper (bZIP), basichelix–loop–helix (bHLH), myeloblastosis, NAM/ATAF/CUC, MADS-box, HMG-box, APETALA2/EREBP, and WRKY family. Bioinformatics interventions in genome-wide identifications, structural and functional elucidation of plant-specific TF gene families have been exclusively reviewed in this chapter.
Published Version
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