Involvement of plant C2H2-type zinc finger transcription factors in stress responses

Abiotic and biotic stresses frequently impose constraints on plant distribution and affect agricultural productivity. Various aspects of the multiplicity and the complexity of stress responsive gene networks have been previously studied. Many of individual transcription factors in plants and their family classes that regulate the expression of several genes in responses to environmental stresses have been identified. One such class of transcription regulators is the C2H2 class of zinc finger proteins. Numerous members of the C2H2-type zinc finger family have been shown to play diverse roles in the plant stress response and the hormone signal transduction. Transcription profiling analyses have demonstrated that the transcript level of many C2H2-type zinc finger proteins is elevated under different abiotic stress conditions such as low temperature, salt, drought, osmotic stress and oxidative stress. Some C2H2-type proteins are additionally involved in the biotic stress signaling pathway. Moreover, it has been reported that overexpression of some C2H2-type zinc finger protein genes resulted in both the activation of some stress-related genes and enhanced tolerance to various stresses. Current genetic studies have focused on possible interactions between different zinc finger transcription factors during stresses to regulate transcription. This review highlights the role of the C2H2 class of the zinc finger proteins in regulating abiotic and biotic stress tolerance in the plants.

► Plant C2H2-type zinc finger proteins play diverse roles in the stress response.
► Transcript level of many C2H2 proteins is elevated under various abiotic stresses.
► Several C2H2-type proteins are involved in the biotic stress response.
► Overexpression of some C2H2 genes activate expression of many stress-related genes.
► Individual genes encoding C2H2 protein can be the target to improve stress tolerance.