Toward understanding transcriptional regulatory networks in abiotic stress responses and tolerance in rice.

Daisuke Todaka,Kazuo Nakashima,Kazuo Shinozaki,Kazuko Yamaguchi-Shinozaki

doi:10.1186/1939-8433-5-6

Abstract

Abiotic stress causes loss of crop production. Under abiotic stress conditions, expression of many genes is induced, and their products have important roles in stress responses and tolerance. Progress has been made in understanding the biological roles of regulons in abiotic stress responses in rice. A number of transcription factors (TFs) regulate stress-responsive gene expression. OsDREB1s and OsDREB2s were identified as abiotic-stress responsive TFs that belong to the AP2/ERF family. Similar to Arabidopsis, these DREB regulons were most likely not involved in the abscisic acid (ABA) pathway. OsAREBs such as OsAREB1 were identified as key components in ABA-dependent transcriptional networks in rice. OsNAC/SNACs including OsNAC6 were characterized as factors that regulate expression of genes important for abiotic stress responses in rice. Here, we review on the rice abiotic-stress responses mediated by transcriptional networks, with the main focus on TFs that function in abiotic stress responses and confer stress tolerance in rice.

Highlights

Abiotic stress causes loss of crop production
We review the rice abiotic stress responses mediated by transcriptional networks, and focus on transcription factors (TFs) that function in abiotic stress responses and confer stress tolerance in rice
These included genes encoding calmodulin, catalase, late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) protein, metallothionein-like protein, transcription factors such as zinc finger, NAC, and Myb, lipoxygenase, and sugar transporter protein Wang et al (2007),. compared comprehensive expression profiles between genotypes of upland rice, which is resistant to water stress, and lowland rice, which is susceptible to water stress, that were subjected to PEG treatment

Summary

Not reported

Regulation of gene expression via phosphorylation in response to ABA (Hobo et al 1999,; Kagaya et al 2002). Drought ↓, Salt ↓, Cold ↓ Modulation of gene expression through an ABA-dependent pathway (Hossain et al 2010). Regulation of expression of genes involved in stress response and tolerance (Xiang et al 2008)

OsNAC TFs

Spikelet disruption

Findings

Conclusions