bZIPs and WRKYs: two large transcription factor families executing two different functional strategies
Year: 2014
Type: review
Abstract: bZIPs and WRKYs are two important plant transcription factor (TF) families regulating diverse developmental and stress-related processes. Since a partial overlap in these biological processes is obvious, it can be speculated that they fulfill non-redundant functions in a complex regulatory network. Here, we focus on the regulatory mechanisms that are so far described for bZIPs and WRKYs. bZIP factors need to heterodimerize for DNA-binding and regulation of transcription, and based on a bioinformatics approach, bZIPs can build up more than the double of protein interactions than WRKYs. In contrast, an enrichment of the WRKY DNA-binding motifs can be found in WRKY promoters, a phenomenon which is not observed for the bZIP family. Thus, the two TF families follow two different functional strategies in which WRKYs regulate each other's transcription in a transcriptional network whereas bZIP action relies on intensive heterodimerization.
Source: Frontiers in Plant Science
Institution: University of Tübingen
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
OpenAlex ID: W2008651103