Regulatory Role of Transcription Factors in Abiotic Stress Responses in Plants

Abstract

Unlike animals, plants are sessile and cannot avoid environmental challenges by changing their place. They have to face all these challenges such as drought, flooding, salinity, and extreme temperatures. These stresses cause a significant loss in crop productivity and agriculture sustainability. To encounter these abiotic stresses, plants have evolved innate immunity and sophisticated defense system. The expression of stress-responsive genes and the production of stress-related proteins and peptides are key components of their defense system. The expression of such genes is not simple; rather, it involves complex signaling pathways including the regulation of such genes by transcription factors (TFs) which are important players of the regulatory mechanisms enabling plants to tolerate these stresses. There are different families of TFs known so far such as MYB, AVP, MAPK, WRKY, HK, MBF, ERF, etc. In this chapter, we will discuss the role of these transcription factors in regulation of the plant responses to various abiotic stresses. It will be helpful in understanding key regulatory mechanisms of plants’ stress responses and their application in enhancing stress tolerance in crop plants for sustainable agriculture.