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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2011, Vol. 20 ›› Issue (1): 222-236.

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Advances in studies on DREB/CBF transcription factors, and their applications
in genetic engineering for stress tolerance of turf and forage grasses

WANG Zhou1,2,3, LIU Jian-xiu2   

  1. 1.College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China;
    2.Institute of Botany,
    Jiangsu Province & Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China;
    3.Biotechnology Institute,
    Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
  • Revised:2010-03-22 Online:2011-02-22 Published:2011-02-22

Abstract: Turf and forage grasses are critical to sustainable agriculture, but stresses negatively influence their survival, biomass and yield. It is essential to understand the molecular basis of stress tolerance since it is multigenic as well as a quantitative trait. Transcription factors that regulate expression of several genes related to stress have been discovered. One such class is DREB/CBF that binds to drought responsive cis-acting elements. DREBs belong to the ERF family of transcription factors consisting of two subclasses, i.e. DREB1/CBF and DREB2 that are induced by cold and dehydration, respectively. Tremendous progress had been made in genetic transformation of turf and forage grasses in the past decade. The rapid advancement of molecular biology and transgenic technology provides novel methods to accelerate and complement conventional breeding efforts. It is possible to engineer stress tolerance in transgenic plants by manipulating the expression of DREBs. This opens an excellent opportunity to develop stress tolerant grasses in future. This review intends to focus on the structure, role of DREBs in plant stress signaling and the present status of their deployment in developing stress tolerant transgenic turf and forage grasses.

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