Abstract
Water scarcity is one of the major causes of poor plant performance and limited crop yields worldwide and it is the single most common cause of severe food shortage in developing countries. Several molecular networks involved in stress perception, signal transduction and stress responses in plants have been elucidated so far. Transcription factors are major players in water stress signaling. In recent years, different MYB transcription factors, mainly in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. but also in some crops, have been characterized for their involvement in drought response. For some of them there is evidence supporting a specific role in response to water stress, such as the regulation of stomatal movement, the control of suberin and cuticular waxes synthesis and the regulation of flower development. Moreover, some of these genes have also been characterized for their involvement in other abiotic or biotic stresses, an important feature considering that in nature, plants are often simultaneously subjected to multiple rather than single environmental perturbations. This review summarizes recent studies highlighting the role of the MYB family of transcription factors in the adaptive responses to drought stress. The practical application value of MYBs in crop improvement, such as stress tolerance engineering, is also discussed.
Highlights
As the world population is expected to reach nine billion by 2050, crop yields need to be improved by 40% in areas where drought is likely to occur by 2025 [1]
Plant Transcription factors (TFs) play a major role in the regulation of drought response [6]
Numerous MYB TFs involved in the regulation of drought tolerance have been identified, in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana, as described in this review
Summary
As the world population is expected to reach nine billion by 2050, crop yields need to be improved by 40% in areas where drought is likely to occur by 2025 [1]. The prototypic mammalian c-Myb protein consists of three repeats in its MYB domain, called R1, R2 and R3, and belongs to the 3R-MYB class This group of proteins is mainly involved in the regulation of the cell cycle in different organisms, plants included [8]. MYB TFs with four R1/R2-like repeats are very rare; only one member has been described in different plant species and none is involved in the drought response [8]. MYB TFs with a single or a partial repeat, collectively called “MYB-related”, are grouped in different subclasses, depending on the presence of particular repeats [8] They are involved in different processes, such as the control of cellular and organ morphogenesis, secondary metabolism and circadian rhythm. Them, a role in drought response, and in particular in the regulation of stomatal movements, has been described only for the StMYB1R-1 TF from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), as reported below [11]
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