AP2/ERF Transcription Factors and Their Functions in Arabidopsis Responses to Abiotic Stresses

Plants have to endure unfavorable environmental conditions due to their sessility. To adapt to environmental constraints, plants have evolved intricate balancing mechanisms to achieve optimal survival while maintaining growth and development. The APETALA2/Ethylene-Responsive element binding Factor (AP2/ERF) family of transcription factors (TFs) are unique for plants and have been shown to regulate plant tolerance by modulating the expression of downstream genes in response to stresses, such as low or high temperature, drought, excessive water, and high salinity. AP2/ERF TFs have been extensively studied in model plants Arabidopsis and rice. In this review, we discuss AP2/ERF family classification and elaborate on their functions mostly in Arabidopsis, and a few rice AP2/ERF family TFs are also discussed here. We highlight the subfamilies of Dehydration-Responsive Element-Binding proteins/Ethylene-Responsive element binding Factor (DREBs/ERFs). We summarize our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms of their actions, and the signaling and regulatory networks through which they are modulated in the coordination of stress tolerance and plant growth and development.