WRKY Transcription Factors in Plant Stress Responses

WRKY transcription factors constitute one of the largest families of plant-specific regulators, distinguished by a conserved WRKY amino-acid motif and a zinc-finger domain that mediate sequence-specific binding to W-box elements in target gene promoters. Originally identified in defence responses to pathogens, WRKY factors are now recognised as central integrators of diverse abiotic stresses, including drought, salinity, cold and heat. They operate within complex regulatory networks that balance activation and repression of downstream genes to optimise physiological and developmental outcomes. In drought conditions, certain WRKY proteins enhance tolerance by stabilising photosynthetic machinery and promoting osmoprotectant synthesis, whereas others modulate stomatal aperture to conserve water. Under salinity or temperature extremes, WRKY factors orchestrate antioxidant responses, hormonal signalling cascades and cellular homeostasis. The family has expanded through gene duplication events, yielding multiple subgroups that exhibit both overlapping and specialised functions. Crosstalk between WRKY-mediated pathways and hormone networks such as abscisic acid, jasmonate and salicylate underpins coordinated adaptation to fluctuating environments. Recent advances in structural biology, transcriptomics and genome editing have begun to unravel how individual WRKY paralogues are regulated at transcriptional, post-translational and epigenetic levels. These insights offer promising avenues for engineering stress-resilient crops by fine-tuning WRKY activity without compromising growth or yield.

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WRKY Transcription Factors in Plant Stress Responses publication trend

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Technical terms

WRKY domain: A conserved region of ~60 amino acids, including the WRKYGQK motif and zinc-finger, responsible for DNA binding.

W-box element: A promoter motif (consensus TTGACC/T) recognised and bound by WRKY transcription factors.

Abiotic stress: Non-living environmental factors such as drought, temperature extremes or salinity that challenge plant physiology.

Transcriptional activator/repressor: A factor that increases or decreases the transcription of specific genes by interacting with promoter regions.

Osmoprotectant: Small molecules (e.g. proline, sugars) that accumulate to protect cellular structures under osmotic stress.

References

1. PoWRKY71 is involved in Paeonia ostii resistance to drought stress by directly regulating light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding 151 gene. Horticulture Research (2023).
2. WRKY Transcription Factors: Molecular Regulation and Stress Responses in Plants. Frontiers in Plant Science (2016).
3. The WRKY transcription factor superfamily: its origin in eukaryotes and expansion in plants. BMC Ecology and Evolution (2005).
4. Defense‐related transcription factors WRKY70 and WRKY54 modulate osmotic stress tolerance by regulating stomatal aperture in Arabidopsis. New Phytologist (2013).
5. Genome-wide investigation of WRKY gene family in pineapple: evolution and expression profiles during development and stress. BMC Genomics (2018).