TERF1 Regulates Nuclear Gene Expression Through Chloroplast Retrograde Signals

Abstract

Ethylene is an important phytohormone that regulates many important biological processes in plant. ERF (ethylene response factor) proteins are key transcription factors that activate the ethylene signaling pathway. However, our knowledge about the mechanism of the ERF transcription factors in regulating nuclear genes expression is limited. Retrograde signaling pathway in chloroplast is a novel kind of mechanism that regulates nuclear gene expression by different signals in plastid. Based on our former research we analyzed the components related with retrograde signaling from plastid in the transgenic tobacco overexpressing TERF1, a member of ERF family transcription factors, to elucidate the interaction between ethylene signaling pathway and different retrograde signaling pathway in plastid under normal growth condition. Results show that TERF1 regulates different retrograde signals in plastid and thus regulates different nuclear genes expression under normal growth condition. We propose a new mechanism that links ethylene signaling pathway and retrograde signaling pathway as well as new potential of TERF1 in regulating nuclear genes expression at post-transcriptional level.