Regulatory Mechanisms of bHLH Transcription Factors in Plant Adaptive Responses to Various Abiotic Stresses

Autor: Yuchen Qian, Tongyao Zhang, Yan Yu, Liangpeng Gou, Jingting Yang, Jia Xu, Erxu Pi
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Plant Science, Vol 12 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1664-462X
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.677611
Popis: Basic helix-loop-helix proteins (bHLHs) comprise one of the largest families of transcription factors in plants. They have been shown to be involved in responses to various abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, chilling, heavy metal toxicity, iron deficiency, and osmotic damages. By specifically binding to cis-elements in the promoter region of stress related genes, bHLHs can regulate their transcriptional expression, thereby regulating the plant’s adaptive responses. This review focuses on the structural characteristics of bHLHs, the regulatory mechanism of how bHLHs are involved transcriptional activation, and the mechanism of how bHLHs regulate the transcription of target genes under various stresses. Finally, as increasing research demonstrates that flavonoids are usually induced under fluctuating environments, the latest research progress and future research prospects are described on the mechanisms of how flavonoid biosynthesis is regulated by bHLHs in the regulation of the plant’s responses to abiotic stresses.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals