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Review
. 2015 Jul 13;16(7):15811-51.
doi: 10.3390/ijms160715811.

Plant MYB Transcription Factors: Their Role in Drought Response Mechanisms

Elena Baldoni  1 , Annamaria Genga  2 , Eleonora Cominelli  3
Affiliations
Review

Plant MYB Transcription Factors: Their Role in Drought Response Mechanisms

Elena Baldoni et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Water scarcity is one of the major causes of poor plant performance and limited crop yields worldwide and it is the single most common cause of severe food shortage in developing countries. Several molecular networks involved in stress perception, signal transduction and stress responses in plants have been elucidated so far. Transcription factors are major players in water stress signaling. In recent years, different MYB transcription factors, mainly in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. but also in some crops, have been characterized for their involvement in drought response. For some of them there is evidence supporting a specific role in response to water stress, such as the regulation of stomatal movement, the control of suberin and cuticular waxes synthesis and the regulation of flower development. Moreover, some of these genes have also been characterized for their involvement in other abiotic or biotic stresses, an important feature considering that in nature, plants are often simultaneously subjected to multiple rather than single environmental perturbations. This review summarizes recent studies highlighting the role of the MYB family of transcription factors in the adaptive responses to drought stress. The practical application value of MYBs in crop improvement, such as stress tolerance engineering, is also discussed.

Keywords: MYB; crosstalk; drought; stress response.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Network of R2R3-MYB transcription factors well-characterized for their regulatory roles in different organs, specific cell-types and metabolic pathways in response to drought stress. Line arrows represent a positive regulation, while line ending with a bar indicates a negative regulation. Processes and pathways related to vegetative organs, flower, root or whole plant are colored in green, yellow, orange and pink, respectively.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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