Ruta, V.; Longo, C.; Lepri, A.; De Angelis, V.; Occhigrossi, S.; Costantino, P.; Vittorioso, P. The DOF Transcription Factors in Seed and Seedling Development. Plants2020, 9, 218.
Ruta, V.; Longo, C.; Lepri, A.; De Angelis, V.; Occhigrossi, S.; Costantino, P.; Vittorioso, P. The DOF Transcription Factors in Seed and Seedling Development. Plants 2020, 9, 218.
Ruta, V.; Longo, C.; Lepri, A.; De Angelis, V.; Occhigrossi, S.; Costantino, P.; Vittorioso, P. The DOF Transcription Factors in Seed and Seedling Development. Plants2020, 9, 218.
Ruta, V.; Longo, C.; Lepri, A.; De Angelis, V.; Occhigrossi, S.; Costantino, P.; Vittorioso, P. The DOF Transcription Factors in Seed and Seedling Development. Plants 2020, 9, 218.
Abstract
The DOF (DNA binding with one finger) family of plant-specific transcription factors (TF) was first identified in maize in 1995. Since then, DOF proteins have been shown to be present in the whole plant kingdom including the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The DOF TF family is characterised by a highly conserved DNA binding domain (DOF domain), consisting of a CX2C-X21-CX2C motif which is able to form a zinc finger structure. Early in the study of DOF proteins it became clear their relevance for seed biology. Indeed, the Prolamine Binding Factor (PBF), one of the first DOF proteins characterised, controls the endosperm-specific expression of the zein genes in maize. Subsequently, several DOF proteins from both monocots and dicots have been shown to be primarily involved in seed development, dormancy and germination, as well as in seedling development and other light-mediated processes. In the last two decades the molecular network underlying these processes have been outlined, and the main molecular players and their interactions have been identified. In this review, we will focus on the DOF TFs involved in these molecular networs, and on their interaction with other proteins.
Keywords
DOF proteins; DELLA proteins; seed germination; seedling development; seed maturation
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Plant Sciences
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
