Transcription Factor Regulation in Rice Disease Defense
Summary
Transcription factors constitute a central layer of control in rice immunity, integrating pathogen perception with tailored defence outputs. Among these regulators, WRKY proteins emerge as predominant modulators of salicylic acid and jasmonic acid pathways, orchestrating gene networks that underpin resistance to bacterial blight and fungal blast. Post-translational mechanisms—including phosphorylation by SnRK2-type kinases, ubiquitin-mediated turnover and alternative translation initiation—fine-tune transcription factor activity, ensuring rapid induction upon infection while minimising fitness penalties during growth. Crosstalk with hormone signals such as abscisic acid further adjusts transcriptional responses under simultaneous abiotic stress. Advances in genome editing and controlled expression of TF isoforms offer promising routes to enhance durable disease resistance without compromising yield, underscoring the global significance of dissecting transcription factor regulation in rice defence.
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Transcription Factor Regulation in Rice Disease Defense publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in transcription factor regulation in rice disease defense across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
WRKY transcription factor: Plant‐specific protein family characterised by a conserved WRKY domain that binds W-box elements in defence gene promoters.
Ubiquitin-proteasome system: Cellular machinery that tags proteins with ubiquitin chains for selective degradation, modulating transcription factor abundance.
Alternative translation initiation: Mechanism generating distinct protein isoforms from a single mRNA via use of downstream start codons with different regulatory properties.
Post-translational modification: Covalent alterations such as phosphorylation that rapidly alter protein activity, stability or localisation.
Salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA): Plant hormones central to biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogen defence pathways, respectively.
SnRK2 kinase (e.g., SAPK10): Subfamily of protein kinases activated by abiotic or hormonal cues that phosphorylate downstream transcription factors in stress responses.
References
- Elevating plant immunity by translational regulation of a rice WRKY transcription factor. Plant Biotechnology Journal (2023).
- SAPK10-Mediated Phosphorylation on WRKY72 Releases Its Suppression on Jasmonic Acid Biosynthesis and Bacterial Blight Resistance. iScience (2019).
- Exogenous proteinogenic amino acids induce systemic resistance in rice. BMC Plant Biology (2016).
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