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. 2020 Feb;101(3):573-589.
doi: 10.1111/tpj.14555. Epub 2019 Nov 10.

The ERF transcription factor MdERF38 promotes drought stress-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis in apple

Jian-Ping An  1 , Xiao-Wei Zhang  1 , Si-Qi Bi  1 , Chun-Xiang You  1 , Xiao-Fei Wang  1 , Yu-Jin Hao  1
Affiliations
Free article

The ERF transcription factor MdERF38 promotes drought stress-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis in apple

Jian-Ping An et al. Plant J. 2020 Feb.
Free article

Abstract

Drought stress induces anthocyanin biosynthesis in many plant species, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. Ethylene response factors (ERFs) play key roles in plant growth and various stress responses, including affecting anthocyanin biosynthesis. Here, we characterized an ERF protein, MdERF38, which is involved in drought stress-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis. Biochemical and molecular analyses showed that MdERF38 interacted with MdMYB1, a positive modulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis, and facilitated the binding of MdMYB1 to its target genes. Therefore, MdERF38 promoted anthocyanin biosynthesis in response to drought stress. Furthermore, we found that MdBT2, a negative modulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis, decreased MdERF38-promoted anthocyanin biosynthesis by accelerating the degradation of the MdERF38 protein. In summary, our data provide a mechanism for drought stress-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis that involves dynamic modulation of MdERF38 at both transcriptional and post-translational levels.

Keywords: ERF transcription factor; anthocyanin biosynthesis; apple; drought stress; post-translational modification.

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