Transcription Factor Role in Plant Abiotic Stress Tolerance

Plants are exposed to a variety of abiotic stresses—such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures and oxidative damage—that limit growth, yield and food security worldwide. At the heart of the plant stress response lie transcription factors (TFs), which act as master regulators by sensing stress signals and modulating the expression of suites of downstream genes. Major TF families involved in abiotic stress tolerance include AP2/ERF (notably DREB subgroups), NAC, MYB, bZIP and WRKY. These proteins typically bind to specific cis-elements in gene promoters, triggering accumulation of osmoprotectants, antioxidants and stress-responsive proteins, or activating hormonal pathways such as abscisic acid (ABA) signalling. Dynamic regulatory circuits—often involving feedback loops, cross-family interactions and post-translational modifications—enable precise control of stress responses and prevent deleterious overactivation. Advances in genome-wide profiling and molecular genetics have revealed both conserved and species-specific TF networks, offering routes to engineer resilient crops. Practical applications include overexpression or gene stacking of TFs to enhance water-use efficiency, ionic homeostasis and photoprotection under field conditions, thereby contributing to sustainable agriculture in the face of climate change.

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Transcription Factor Role in Plant Abiotic Stress Tolerance publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in transcription factor role in plant abiotic stress tolerance across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Transcription factor: A protein that binds to specific DNA sequences to regulate gene expression.

Dehydration-responsive element-binding (DREB): A subfamily of AP2/ERF transcription factors that recognise dehydration-responsive cis-elements.

Abscisic acid (ABA): A phytohormone that mediates plant responses to osmotic and water-deficit stress.

Cis-element: A short DNA sequence in a promoter region that serves as the binding site for transcription factors.

Homeostasis: The maintenance of stable internal conditions such as ion balance under stress.

References

1. Pumpkin CmoDREB2A enhances salt tolerance of grafted cucumber through interaction with CmoNAC1 to regulate H2O2 and ABA signaling and K+/Na+ homeostasis. Horticulture Research (2024).
2. Heterologous VvDREB2c Expression Improves Heat Tolerance in Arabidopsis by Inducing Photoprotective Responses. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
3. Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of DREB family genes in cotton. BMC Plant Biology (2023).
4. Recent Advances in Utilizing Transcription Factors to Improve Plant Abiotic Stress Tolerance by Transgenic Technology. Frontiers in Plant Science (2016).