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Functions of Transcription Factors in Plant Growth, Performance and Responses to Environmental Stresses 2.0

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 23860

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Dr. Nguyen Phuong Thao

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Applied Biotechnology for Crop Development Research Unit, School of Biotechnology, International University, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Block 6, Linh Trung ward, Thu Duc district, HCMC, Vietnam
Interests: plant abiotic stress responses; molecular genetics of plant disease resistance; signal transduction; plant tissue culture and regeneration; plant development
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Prof. Dr. Lam-Son Phan Tran

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Institute for Genomics of Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance (IGCAST), Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
Interests: plants; environmental stress; signaling molecules; transcription factors; gene identification and analysis; gene regulatory network; signal transduction
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Dear Colleagues,

Many important cellular pathways in plant development and environmental stress adaptation are under the regulation of gene expression at the transcriptional level. In further progression of the signaling process, transcription factors (TFs) should be highlighted as key participators. They work as final transducers in the transduction module and directly mediate gene expression, since they can bind to the regulatory regions of specific promoters. Since most TFs are early responsive genes and control the expression of a set of downstream target genes, manipulating the expression of TF-encoding genes has emerged as a popular approach for crop improvement.

In this Special Issue of IJMS, entitled “Functions of Transcription Factors in Plant Growth, Performance and Responses to Environmental Stresses 2.0”, we will focus on the important roles of TFs in plant growth and development, as well as in conferring stress-resistant mechanisms and their potential for being used for the enhancement of crop productivity based on advanced biological methods. Research papers and up-to-date review articles are all welcome.

Dr. Nguyen Phuong Thao
Dr. Lam-Son Phan Tran
Guest Editors

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Keywords

abiotic stress
crop improvement
genetic engineering
plant defense
plant development
plant response
signature transduction
transcription factor

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 6977 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Analysis of Auxin Response Factors in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) Reveals the Positive Roles of LsARF8a in Thermally Induced Bolting

by Manman Hu, Zhengyang Qi, Zheng Ren, Jing Tong, Baoju Wang, Zhanhui Wu, Jinghong Hao and Ning Liu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(21), 13509; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms232113509 - 04 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1547

Abstract

Warm temperatures induce plant bolting accompanied by flower initiation, where endogenous auxin is dynamically associated with accelerated growth. Auxin signaling is primarily regulated by a family of plant-specific transcription factors, AUXIN RESPONSE FACTORS (ARFs), which either activate or repress the expression of downstream genes in response to developmental and environmental cues. However, the relationship between ARFs and bolting has not been completely understood in lettuce yet. Here, we identified 24 LsARFs (Lactuca sativa ARFs) in the lettuce genome. The phylogenetic tree indicated that LsARFs could be classified into three clusters, which was well supported by the analysis of exon–intron structure, consensus motifs, and domain compositions. RNA-Seq analysis revealed that more than half of the LsARFs were ubiquitously expressed in all tissues examined, whereas a small number of LsARFs responded to UV or cadmium stresses. qRT-PCR analysis indicated that the expression of most LsARFs could be activated by more than one phytohormone, underling their key roles as integrative hubs of different phytohormone signaling pathways. Importantly, the majority of LsARFs displayed altered expression profiles under warm temperatures, implying that their functions were tightly associated with thermally accelerated bolting in lettuce. Importantly, we demonstrated that silencing of LsARF8a, expression of which was significantly increased by elevated temperatures, resulted in delayed bolting under warm temperatures, suggesting that LsARF8a might conduce to the thermally induced bolting. Together, our results provide molecular insights into the LsARF gene family in lettuce, which will facilitate the genetic improvement of the lettuce in an era of global warming. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functions of Transcription Factors in Plant Growth, Performance and Responses to Environmental Stresses 2.0)

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18 pages, 4740 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identification, Classification and Characterization of LBD Transcription Factor Family Genes in Pinus massoniana

by Chi Zhang, Peihuang Zhu, Mengyang Zhang, Zichen Huang, Agassin Romaric Hippolyte, Yangqing Hou, Xuan Lou and Kongshu Ji

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(21), 13215; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms232113215 - 30 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2010

Abstract

Transcription factors (TFs) are a class of proteins that play an important regulatory role in controlling the expression of plant target genes by interacting with downstream regulatory genes. The lateral organ boundary (LOB) structural domain (LBD) genes are a family of genes encoding plant-specific transcription factors that play important roles in regulating plant growth and development, nutrient metabolism, and environmental stresses. However, the LBD gene family has not been systematically identified in Pinus massoniana, one of the most important conifers in southern China. Therefore, in this study, we combined cell biology and bioinformatics approaches to identify the LBD gene family of P. massoniana by systematic gene structure and functional evolutionary analysis. We obtained 47 LBD gene family members, and all PmLBD members can be divided into two subfamilies, (Class I and Class II). By treating the plants with abiotic stress and growth hormone, etc., under qPCR-based analysis, we found that the expression of PmLBD genes was regulated by growth hormone and abiotic stress treatments, and thus this gene family in growth and development may be actively involved in plant growth and development and responses to adversity stress, etc. By subcellular localization analysis, PmLBD is a nuclear protein, and two of the genes, PmLBD44 and PmLBD45, were selected for functional characterization; secondly, yeast self-activation analysis showed that PmLBD44, PmLBD45, PmLBD46 and PmLBD47 had no self-activating activity. This study lays the foundation for an in-depth study of the role of the LBD gene family in other physiological activities of P. massoniana. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functions of Transcription Factors in Plant Growth, Performance and Responses to Environmental Stresses 2.0)

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20 pages, 4414 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physiological and Transcriptomic Responses of Growth in Neolamarckia cadamba Stimulated by Exogenous Gibberellins

by Lu Li, Jiaqi Wang, Jiajun Chen, Zhihua Wang, Mirza Faisal Qaseem, Huiling Li and Aimin Wu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(19), 11842; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms231911842 - 06 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1493

Abstract

(1) The phytohormones gibberellins (GAs) play a crucial role in plant growth and development, such as seed germination, flowering, fruiting, and stem elongation. Although many biological roles of GAs have been studied intensively, the molecular mechanisms of GAs in woody plants are still unclear. (2) In this study, we investigated the effects of exogenous application of GAs on Neolamarckia cadamba. (3) The height and biomass of N. cadamba increased after 7 days of GA treatment, especially on the second internode. Transcriptome analysis showed that although the majority of genes involved in the GA signaling pathway were up-regulated, the expression of GA20 oxidase (GA20ox) and GA3 oxidase (GA3ox) was down-regulated in the 3 days GA-treated group compared to the CK group. The expression of the cell elongation-related basic helix-loop-helix genes bHLH74 and bHLH49 was up-regulated in the GA-treated group compared with the CK group. Transcriptional expression levels of transcription factors involved in hormone signaling were changed, mainly including bHLH, ethylene response factor (ERF), and WRKY families. In addition, the transcriptional expression level of the key enzymes engaged in the phenylalanine pathway was downregulated after GA treatment. (4) In brief, our findings reveal the physiological and molecular mechanisms of exogenous GA treatment stimulation in N. cadamba. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functions of Transcription Factors in Plant Growth, Performance and Responses to Environmental Stresses 2.0)

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15 pages, 2106 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Increased ACS Enzyme Dosage Causes Initiation of Climacteric Ethylene Production in Tomato

by Haoting Chen, Songling Bai, Miyako Kusano, Hiroshi Ezura and Ning Wang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(18), 10788; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms231810788 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1779

Abstract

Fruits of wild tomato species show different ethylene-dependent ripening characteristics, such as variations in fruit color and whether they exhibit a climacteric or nonclimacteric ripening transition. 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase (ACS) and ACC oxidase (ACO) are key enzymes in the ethylene biosynthetic pathway encoded by multigene families. Gene duplication is a primary driver of plant diversification and angiosperm evolution. Here, interspecific variations in the molecular regulation of ethylene biosynthesis and perception during fruit ripening in domesticated and wild tomatoes were investigated. Results showed that the activated ACS genes were increased in number in red-ripe tomato fruits than in green-ripe tomato fruits; therefore, elevated dosage of ACS enzyme promoted ripening ethylene production. Results showed that the expression of three ACS isogenes ACS1A, ACS2, and ACS4, which are involved in autocatalytic ethylene production, was higher in red-ripe tomato fruits than in green-ripe tomato fruits. Elevated ACS enzyme dosage promoted ethylene production, which corresponded to the climacteric response of red-ripe tomato fruits. The data suggest that autoinhibitory ethylene production is common to all tomato species, while autocatalytic ethylene production is specific to red-ripe species. The essential regulators Non-ripening (NOR) and Ripening-Inhibitor (RIN) have experienced gene activation and overlapped with increasing ACS enzyme dosage. These complex levels of transcript regulation link higher ethylene production with spatiotemporal modulation of gene expression in red-ripe tomato species. Taken together, this study shows that bursts in ethylene production that accompany fruit color changes in red-ripe tomatoes are likely to be an evolutionary adaptation for seed dispersal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functions of Transcription Factors in Plant Growth, Performance and Responses to Environmental Stresses 2.0)

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19 pages, 5747 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Analysis of Calmodulin Binding Transcription Activator (CAMTA) Gene Family in Peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) and Ectopic Expression of PpCAMTA1 in Arabidopsis camta2,3 Mutant Restore Plant Development

by Can Yang, Zhihao Li, Xiangmei Cao, Wenyi Duan, Chunyan Wei, Chi Zhang, Dan Jiang, Mengtao Li, Kunsong Chen, Yongjin Qiao, Hongru Liu and Bo Zhang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(18), 10500; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms231810500 - 10 Sep 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1880

Abstract

Calmodulin-binding transcription activator (CAMTA) is a transcription factor family containing calmodulin (CaM) binding sites and is involved in plant development. Although CAMTAs in Arabidopsis have been extensively investigated, the functions of CAMTAs remain largely unclear in peaches. In this study, we identified five peach CAMTAs which contained conserved CG-1 box, ANK repeats, CaM binding domain (CaMBD) and IQ motifs. Overexpression in tobacco showed that PpCAMTA1/2/3 were located in the nucleus, while PpCAMTA4 and PpCAMTA5 were located in the plasma membrane. Increased expression levels were observed for PpCAMTA1 and PpCAMTA3 during peach fruit ripening. Expression of PpCAMTA1 was induced by cold treatment and was inhibited by ultraviolet B irradiation (UV-B). Driven by AtCAMTA3 promoter, PpCAMTA1/2/3 were overexpressed in Arabidopsis mutant. Here, we characterized peach PpCAMTA1, representing an ortholog of AtCAMTA3. PpCAMTA1 expression in Arabidopsis complements the developmental deficiencies of the camta2,3 mutant, and restored the plant size to the wild type level. Moreover, overexpressing PpCAMTA1 in camta2,3 mutant inhibited salicylic acid (SA) biosynthesis and expression of SA-related genes, resulting in a susceptibility phenotype to Pst DC3000. Taken together, our results provide new insights for CAMTAs in peach fruit and indicate that PpCAMTA1 is associated with response to stresses during development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functions of Transcription Factors in Plant Growth, Performance and Responses to Environmental Stresses 2.0)

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17 pages, 7332 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Arabidopsis ERF012 Is a Versatile Regulator of Plant Growth, Development and Abiotic Stress Responses

by Yupu Huang, Ling Liu, Haitao Hu, Ning Tang, Lei Shi, Fangsen Xu and Sheliang Wang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(12), 6841; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23126841 - 20 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2094

Abstract

The AP2/ERF transcription factors are widely involved in the regulation of plant growth, development and stress responses. Arabidopsis ERF012 is differentially responsive to various stresses; however, its potential regulatory role remains elusive. Here, we show that ERF012 is predominantly expressed in the vascular bundles, lateral root primordium and vein branch points. ERF012 overexpression inhibits root growth, whereas it promotes root hair development and leaf senescence. In particular, ERF012 may downregulate its target genes AtC4H and At4CL1, key players in phenylpropanoid metabolism and cell wall formation, to hinder auxin accumulation and thereby impacting root growth and leaf senescence. Consistent with this, exogenous IAA application effectively relieves the effect of ERF012 overexpression on root growth and leaf senescence. Meanwhile, ERF012 presumably activates ethylene biosynthesis to promote root hair development, considering that the ERF012-mediated root hair development can be suppressed by the ethylene biosynthetic inhibitor. In addition, ERF012 overexpression displays positive and negative effects on low- and high-temperature responses, respectively, while conferring plant resistance to drought, salinity and heavy metal stresses. Taken together, this study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the functional versatility of ERF012 in plant growth, development and abiotic stress responses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functions of Transcription Factors in Plant Growth, Performance and Responses to Environmental Stresses 2.0)

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22 pages, 7351 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Identification of Broomcorn Millet bZIP Transcription Factors, Which Regulate Growth and Development to Enhance Stress Tolerance and Seed Germination

by Peipei An, Xiang Li, Tianxiang Liu, Zhijie Shui, Mingxun Chen, Xin Gao and Zhonghua Wang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(12), 6448; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23126448 - 09 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1503

Abstract

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is a water-efficient and highly salt-tolerant plant. In this study, the salt tolerance of 17 local species of broomcorn millet was evaluated through testing based on the analysis of the whitening time and the germination rate of their seeds. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that PmbZIP131, PmbZIP125, PmbZIP33, PmABI5, PmbZIP118, and PmbZIP97 are involved in seed germination under salt stress. Seedling stage expression analysis indicates that PmABI5 expression was induced by treatments of high salt (200 mM NaCl), drought (20% W/V PEG6000), and low temperature (4 °C) in seedlings of the salt-tolerant variety Y9. The overexpression of PmABI5 significantly increases the germination rate and root traits of Arabidopsis thaliana transgenic lines, with root growth and grain traits significantly enhanced compared to the wild type (Nipponbare). BiFC showed that PmABI5 undergoes homologous dimerization in addition to forming a heterodimer with either PmbZIP33 or PmbZIP131. Further yeast one-hybrid experiments showed that PmABI5 and PmbZIP131 regulate the expression of PmNAC1 by binding to the G-box in the promoter. These results indicate that PmABI5 can directly regulate seed germination and seedling growth and indirectly improve the salt tolerance of plants by regulating the expression of the PmNAC1 gene through the formation of heterodimers with PmbZIP131. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functions of Transcription Factors in Plant Growth, Performance and Responses to Environmental Stresses 2.0)

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17 pages, 3465 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Insight into the Phylogeny and Binding Ability of WRKY Transcription Factors

by Kuan-Ting Hsin, Min-Che Hsieh, Yu-Hsuan Lee, Kai-Chun Lin and Yi-Sheng Cheng

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(5), 2895; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23052895 - 07 Mar 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2528

Abstract

WRKY transcription factors (TFs), which make up one of the largest families of TFs in the plant kingdom, are key players in modulating gene expression relating to embryogenesis, senescence, pathogen resistance, and abiotic stress responses. However, the phylogeny and grouping of WRKY TFs and how their binding ability is affected by the flanking regions of W-box sequences remain unclear. In this study, we reconstructed the phylogeny of WRKY across the plant kingdom and characterized the DNA-binding profile of Arabidopsis thaliana WRKY (WRKY54) based on its W-box recognition sequence. We found that WRKY TFs could be separated into five clades, and that the functional zinc-finger motif at the C-terminal of WRKY appeared after several nucleotide substitutions had occurred at the 3′-end of the zinc-finger region in chlorophytes. In addition, we found that W-box flanking regions affect the binding ability of WRKY54 based on the results of a fluorescence-based electrophoretic mobility shift assay (fEMSA) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) analysis. The great abundance of WRKY TFs in plants implicates their involvement in diverse molecular regulatory networks, and the flanking regions of W-box sequences may contribute to their molecular recognition mechanism. This phylogeny and our findings on the molecular recognition mechanism of WRKY TFs should be helpful for further research in this area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functions of Transcription Factors in Plant Growth, Performance and Responses to Environmental Stresses 2.0)

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16 pages, 3715 KiB

Open AccessArticle

MdSCL8 as a Negative Regulator Participates in ALA-Induced FLS1 to Promote Flavonol Accumulation in Apples

by Haiwen Zhang, Huihui Tao, Hao Yang, Liuzi Zhang, Guizhi Feng, Yuyan An and Liangju Wang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(4), 2033; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23042033 - 12 Feb 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2295

Abstract

Apples (Malus domestica) are rich in flavonols, and 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) plays an important role in the regulation of plant flavonoid metabolism. To date, the underlying mechanism of ALA promoting flavonol accumulation is unclear. Flavonol synthase (FLS) is a key enzyme in flavonol biosynthesis. In this study, we found that ALA could enhance the promoter activity of MdFLS1 in the ‘Fuji’ apple and improve its expression. With MdFLS1 as bait, we screened a novel transcription factor MdSCL8 by the Yeast One-Hybrid (Y1H) system from the apple cDNA library which we previously constructed. Using luciferase reporter assay and transient GUS activity assay, we verified that MdSCL8 inhibits the activity of MdFLS1 promoter and hinders MdFLS1 expression, thus reducing flavonol accumulation in apple. ALA significantly inhibited MdSCL8 expression. Therefore, ALA promoted the expression of MdFLS1 and the consequent flavonol accumulation probably by down-regulating MdSCL8. We also found that ALA significantly enhanced the gene expression of MdMYB22 and MdHY5, two positive regulators of MdFLS. We further demonstrated that MdMYB22 interacts with MdHY5, but neither of them interacts with MdSCL8. Taken together, our data suggest MdSCL8 as a novel regulator of MdFLS1 and provide important insights into mechanisms of ALA-induced flavonol accumulation in apples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functions of Transcription Factors in Plant Growth, Performance and Responses to Environmental Stresses 2.0)

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19 pages, 27689 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identification, Characterization and Expression Analysis of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis-related bHLH Genes in Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.)

by Yongyan Zhang, Fan Liu, Bin Wang, Huan Wu, Junwei Wu, Jiapeng Liu, Yueting Sun, Chunzhen Cheng and Dongliang Qiu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(24), 13274; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms222413274 - 10 Dec 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2831

Abstract

Basic helix-loop-helix proteins (bHLHs) play very important roles in the anthocyanin biosynthesis of many plant species. However, the reports on blueberry anthocyanin biosynthesis-related bHLHs were very limited. In this study, six anthocyanin biosynthesis-related bHLHs were identified from blueberry genome data through homologous protein sequence alignment. Among these blueberry bHLHs, VcAN1, VcbHLH42-1, VcbHLH42-2 and VcbHLH42-3 were clustered into one group, while VcbHLH1-1 and VcbHLH1-2 were clustered into the other group. All these bHLHs were of the bHLH-MYC_N domain, had DNA binding sites and reported conserved amino acids in the bHLH domain, indicating that they were all G-box binding proteins. Protein subcellular location prediction result revealed that all these bHLHs were nucleus-located. Gene structure analysis showed that VcAN1 gDNA contained eight introns, while all the others contained seven introns. Many light-, phytohormone-, stress- and plant growth and development-related cis-acting elements and transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) were identified in their promoters, but the types and numbers of cis-elements and TFBSs varied greatly between the two bHLH groups. Quantitative real-time PCR results showed that VcAN1 expressed highly in old leaf, stem and blue fruit, and its expression increased as the blueberry fruit ripened. Its expression in purple podetium and old leaf was respectively significantly higher than in green podetium and young leaf, indicating that VcAN1 plays roles in anthocyanin biosynthesis regulation not only in fruit but also in podetium and leaf. VcbHLH1-1 expressed the highest in young leaf and stem, and the lowest in green fruit. The expression of VcbHLH1-1 also increased as the fruit ripened, and its expression in blue fruit was significantly higher than in green fruit. VcbHLH1-2 showed high expression in stem but low expression in fruit, especially in red fruit. Our study indicated that the anthocyanin biosynthesis regulatory functions of these bHLHs showed certain spatiotemporal specificity. Additionally, VcAN1 might be a key gene controlling the anthocyanin biosynthesis in blueberry, whose function is worth exploring further for its potential applications in plant high anthocyanin breeding. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functions of Transcription Factors in Plant Growth, Performance and Responses to Environmental Stresses 2.0)

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15 pages, 14687 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Characterization and Expression Analysis of the SBP-Box Gene Family in Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis)

by Na Song, Yulin Cheng, Weiye Peng, ErPing Peng, Zengling Zhao, Tiantian Liu, Tuyong Yi, Liangying Dai, Bing Wang and Yanyun Hong

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(16), 8918; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22168918 - 18 Aug 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2566

Abstract

SBP-box is an important plant-specific transcription factor family and is involved in diverse biological processes. Here, we identified a total of 15 SBP-BOX genes in the important fruit crop sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) and characterized their gene structures, conserved domain and motif, chromosomal location, and cis-acting regulatory elements. SBP genes were classified into four subfamilies based on the amino acid sequence homology, and the classification is equally strongly supported by the gene and protein structures. Our analysis revealed that segmental duplication events were the main driving force in the evolution of CsSBP genes, and gene pairs might undergo extensive purifying selection. Further synteny analysis of the SBP members among sweet orange and other plant species provides valuable information for clarifying the CsSBP family evolutionary relationship. According to publicly available RNA-seq data and qRT-PCR analysis from various sweet orange tissues, CsSBP genes may be expressed in different tissues and developmental stages. Gene expression analysis showed variable expression profiles of CsSBP genes under various abiotic stresses, such as high and low-temperature, salt, and wound treatments, demonstrating the potential role of SBP members in sweet orange response to abiotic stress. Noticeably, all CsSBP genes were also downregulated in sweet orange upon the infection of an important fungal pathogen Diaporthe citri. Our results provide valuable information for exploring the role of SBP-Box in sweet orange. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functions of Transcription Factors in Plant Growth, Performance and Responses to Environmental Stresses 2.0)

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