PIF3 is a negative regulator of the CBF pathway and freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis

著者: Bochen Jiang, Yiting Shi, Xiaoyan Zhang, Xiaoyun Xin, Lijuan Qi, Hongwei Guo, Jigang Li, Shuhua Yang - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS 2017 被引用: 289

Significance PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTORS (PIFs) are central integrators of plants’ responses to various environmental signals. In this study, we show that PIF3 acts as a negative regulator of plant cold acclimation by directly repressing the expression of CBF genes, whereas its protein stability is negatively regulated by two F-box proteins, EBF1 and EBF2, via the 26S proteasome pathway. Moreover, EBF1 and EBF2 are degraded under cold stress, which enhances the stability of PIF3 protein. Collectively, our study establishes an important regulatory paradigm for PIF3 in preventing runaway expression of the CBF genes at low temperature, which allows plants to adapt to and withstand harsh environments.