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TOBFAC: The database of tobacco transcription factors

Family: ERF

Minimum number of tobacco ERF genes: 239

Count of tobacco ERF sequences: 241

Pfam accession: AP2

SHOULD possess AP2 domain and COULD   possess B3 SNF2_N domains

The ERF family of transcription factors was first discovered in tobacco and is a large multigene family that plays important roles in regulating a variety of plant processes . These include responses to both biotic and abiotic stresses as well as processes during growth and development. The ERF family is part of the larger AP2/ERF superfamily that also contains the AP2 and RAV families. The superfamily is defined by the presence of the approximately 60 amino acid AP2 domain that is involved in DNA binding and may be related to site-specific endonucleases that are found in bacteria and bacteriophages . In general, the ERF proteins have one AP2 domain, the AP2 proteins have two and the RAV proteins contain an AP2 domain together with another DNA binding domain, the B3 domain . Tobacco has a long history of ERF-related research, as the first four recorded genes (EREBP1-4) were isolated from tobacco . These genes are implicated in regulating responses to pathogens and ethylene. Other ERF genes from tobacco appear to play roles in jasmonate signaling (NtORC1 and NtJAP1) , pathogen attack (ERF5) and osmotic stress (TSI1) and members of the DREB subfamily such as DREB1A probably play roles in dehydration and cold responses.

Papers

Okamuro, JK; Caster, B; Villarroel, R; Van Montagu, M; Jofuku, KD. The AP2 domain of APETALA2 defines a large new family of DNA binding proteins in Arabidopsis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 1997. 94(13):7076-81 PMID: 9192694

Magnani, E; Sjölander, K; Hake, S. From endonucleases to transcription factors: evolution of the AP2 DNA binding domain in plants. Plant Cell 2004. 16(9):2265-77 PMID: 15319480

Ohme-Takagi, M; Shinshi, H. Ethylene-inducible DNA binding proteins that interact with an ethylene-responsive element. Plant Cell 1995. 7(2):173-82 PMID: 7756828

Riechmann, JL; Meyerowitz, EM. The AP2/EREBP family of plant transcription factors. Biol. Chem. 1998. 379(6):633-46 PMID: 9687012

Weigel, D. The APETALA2 domain is related to a novel type of DNA binding domain. Plant Cell 1995. 7(4):388-9 PMID: 7773013

Number of contigs: 232

Number of singlets: 9

Number of N terminal - 10

Number of C terminal - 7

Number of full – 224

Total minimum number – 239

Of the 241 predicted genes, ten are fragmentary and contain just the N-terminal part of the ERF domain and seven the C-terminal portion. Based on their amino acid sequences and phylogenetic positions, a maximum of two N-terminal fragments could potentially correspond to C-terminal fragments and the minimum number of ERF genes in tobacco is therefore 239.

Search sequences and info

Transcription factor sequences

Tobacco published genes related to transcription factor family ERF

Authors of this site:

Paul J Rushton
Marta T. Bokowiec
Xianfeng (Jeff) Chen
Thomas (Tom) W Laudeman
Jennifer F. Brannock
Michael P. Timko

Contact:

pr8y@virginia.edu