Plant NF-Y transcription factors: key players in plant-microbe interactions, root development and adaptation to stress

MARIA EUGENIA ZANETTI, CAROLINA RIPODAS, ANDREAS NIEBEL

BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2016

1874-9399

NF-Ys are heterotrimeric transcription factors composed by theNF-YA, NF-YB and NF-YC subunits. In plants, NF-Y subunits are encoded bymultigene families whose members show structural and functionaldiversifications. An increasing number of NF-Y genes have been shown toplay key roles during different stages of the root nodule and thearbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis, as well as during the interaction ofplants with pathogenic microorganisms. Individual members of the NF-YAand NF-YB families have also been implicated in the development ofprimary and lateral roots. In addition, different members of the NF-YAand NF-YB gene families from mono- and di-cotyledonous plants have beeninvolved in the plant responses to water and nutrient scarcity. Thisreview presents the most relevant and striking results concerning theseNF-Y subunits. A phylogenetic analysis of the functionally characterizedNF-Y genes revealed that, across plant species, NF-Y proteins functioningin the same biological process tend to belong to common phylogeneticgroups. Finally, we discuss the forthcoming challenges of plant NF-Yresearch, including the detailed dissection of expression patterns, theelucidation of functional specificities as well as the characterizationof the potential NF-Y-mediated epigenetic mechanisms by which theycontrol the expression of their target genes.