Perspectives of Use of Transcription Factors for Improving Resistance of Wheat Productive Varieties to Abiotic Stresses by Transgenic Technologies

To increase the wheat productivity in a rapidly changing climate and extreme weather conditions, new varieties that are adaptive to the stresses of the environment are needed. Improvement of wheat varieties by the methods of transgenic technologies has been carried out for more than 20 years. Complex resistance to extreme temperatures, drought, salinity, pathogens, and insects are introduced to productive varieties. By now, the ISB database (Information Systems for Biotechnology—A National Resource in Agbiotech Information) lists 585 cases of transgenic wheat plants resistant to multiple environmental stresses [1]. To improve productive varieties by the methods of transgenic technology, it is necessary to have (1) genes that determine resistance to stress, (2) effective systems of genetic transformation, and (3) factors regulating the expression of a large number of stress response genes. Genes encoding transcription factors (TFs) have attracted particular attention because they are the main regulators of cellular processes; therefore, they are excellent candidates for the modification of complex multigene controlled traits of crops. Under different stress conditions, TFs regulate the stress-responsive genes by binding specifically to cis-elements in their promoters and induce the activation or suppression of their transcription. The results of crop improvement using transgenic technologies and the use of TF indicate that this approach can form the basis for the next generation of biotech crops. The review presents data on various families of TF and some of their properties, as well as prospects and achievements of the use of TF in the genetic engineering improvement of wheat.