Subtropical Horticulture Research Institute, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Republic of Korea.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jan 11;24(2):1419. doi: 10.3390/ijms24021419.
Plant basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors are involved in many physiological processes, and they play important roles in the abiotic stress responses. The literature related to genome sequences has increased, with genome-wide studies on the bHLH transcription factors in plants. Researchers have detailed the functionally characterized bHLH transcription factors from different aspects in the model plant , such as iron homeostasis and abiotic stresses; however, other important economic crops, such as rice, have not been summarized and highlighted. The bHLH members in the same subfamily have similar functions; therefore, unraveling their regulatory mechanisms will help us to identify and understand the roles of some of the unknown bHLH transcription factors in the same subfamily. In this review, we summarize the available knowledge on functionally characterized bHLH transcription factors according to four categories: plant growth and development; metabolism synthesis; plant signaling, and abiotic stress responses. We also highlight the roles of the bHLH transcription factors in some economic crops, especially in rice, and discuss future research directions for possible genetic applications in crop breeding.
植物基本螺旋-环-螺旋（bHLH）转录因子参与许多生理过程，并在非生物胁迫反应中发挥重要作用。与基因组序列相关的文献不断增加，对植物 bHLH 转录因子进行了全基因组研究。研究人员从不同方面详细研究了模式植物中功能表征的 bHLH 转录因子，如铁稳态和非生物胁迫；然而，其他重要的经济作物，如水稻，尚未得到总结和强调。同一亚家族的 bHLH 成员具有相似的功能；因此，揭示它们的调控机制将有助于我们识别和理解同一亚家族中一些未知 bHLH 转录因子的作用。在这篇综述中，我们根据四个类别总结了功能表征的 bHLH 转录因子的现有知识：植物生长发育；代谢合成；植物信号转导和非生物胁迫反应。我们还强调了 bHLH 转录因子在一些经济作物中的作用，特别是在水稻中的作用，并讨论了未来可能在作物育种中进行遗传应用的研究方向。
