XVI International Botanical Congess

ERFs (formally EREBP) are members of a novel multigene family of transcription factors unique to plants. The hallmark of this group of proteins is that they contain the highly conserved DNA binding domain designated as the ERF domain. To investigate the functional role of this novel family of transcription factors on gene regulation, we isolated cDNAs encoding ERF proteins from Arabidopsis (AtERF) and characterized them. The AtERFs function either as transcriptional activator or repressor for GCC box dependent transcription in Arabidopsis leaves. mRNAs for the AtERFs were induced differentially by several forms of abiotic stresse which can activate ethylene biosynthesis. The functional involvement of the AtERF family in the regulation of transcription mediated by the GCC box is discussed.