Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA.
Trends Plant Sci. 2010 May;15(5):247-58. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2010.02.006. Epub 2010 Mar 19.
WRKY transcription factors are one of the largest families of transcriptional regulators in plants and form integral parts of signalling webs that modulate many plant processes. Here, we review recent significant progress in WRKY transcription factor research. New findings illustrate that WRKY proteins often act as repressors as well as activators, and that members of the family play roles in both the repression and de-repression of important plant processes. Furthermore, it is becoming clear that a single WRKY transcription factor might be involved in regulating several seemingly disparate processes. Mechanisms of signalling and transcriptional regulation are being dissected, uncovering WRKY protein functions via interactions with a diverse array of protein partners, including MAP kinases, MAP kinase kinases, 14-3-3 proteins, calmodulin, histone deacetylases, resistance proteins and other WRKY transcription factors. WRKY genes exhibit extensive autoregulation and cross-regulation that facilitates transcriptional reprogramming in a dynamic web with built-in redundancy.
WRKY 转录因子是植物中转录调控因子中最大的家族之一，构成了调节许多植物过程的信号网络的组成部分。在这里，我们回顾了 WRKY 转录因子研究的最新重要进展。新的发现表明，WRKY 蛋白通常既作为抑制剂又作为激活剂发挥作用，并且家族成员在重要植物过程的抑制和去抑制中都发挥作用。此外，越来越明显的是，单个 WRKY 转录因子可能参与调节几个看似不同的过程。信号转导和转录调控的机制正在被剖析，通过与包括 MAP 激酶、MAP 激酶激酶、14-3-3 蛋白、钙调蛋白、组蛋白去乙酰化酶、抗性蛋白和其他 WRKY 转录因子在内的各种蛋白伴侣的相互作用，揭示了 WRKY 蛋白的功能。WRKY 基因表现出广泛的自调控和交叉调控，这有助于在具有内置冗余的动态网络中进行转录重编程。
