Abstract:

The research progress on DREB/CBF (Dehydration Responsive Element Binding Protein/C-repeat Binding Factor) transcription factors in last decades especially in recent five years is reviewed,mainly including the structural features of DREB/CBF transcription factors,the cloned DREB/CBF genes and their expression regulations,the application of DREB/CBF genes in gene engenieering for improving plant stress resistance,as well as the existing problems and the future prospective of DREB/CBF to provide reference for plant stress-resistant breeding. DREB/CBF transcription factor, with a typical AP2/EREBP DNA-binding domain, could specifically bind to the DRE/CRT (Dehydration Responsive Element /C-repeat) cis-acting element and activate a lot of the expression of stress inducible genes under dehydration, low temperature and saline conditions, and hence increase plants’ tolerance to environmental stresses. According to the published literature in last decades,a vast number of DREB/CBF transcription factor genes have been isolated and characterized from a variety of plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana , Brassica napus , Oryza sativa , Zea mays , Triticum aestivum , Gossypium hirsutum , Glycine max and Lycopersicon esculentum . Over-expression of these DREB/CBF cDNAs in Arabidopsis thaliana , Brassica napus , Lycopersicon esculentum , Triticum aestivum and Populus could greatly enhance stress tolerance of these transgenic plants, which indicated the importance of DREB/CBF transcription factors in plant stress-resistant breeding.

Key words: DREB/CBF, transcription factor, DRE/CRT cis-acting element, transgenic plant, stress-resistant breeding