title: Prospects of engineering thermotolerance in crops through modulation of heat stress transcription factor and heat shock protein networks.
abstract: Cell survival under high temperature conditions involves the activation of heat stress response (HSR), which in principle is highly conserved among different organisms, but shows remarkable complexity and unique features in plant systems. The transcriptional reprogramming at higher temperatures is controlled by the activity of the heat stress transcription factors (Hsfs). Hsfs allow the transcriptional activation of HSR genes, among which heat shock proteins (Hsps) are best characterized. Hsps belong to multigene families encoding for molecular chaperones involved in various processes including maintenance of protein homeostasis as a requisite for optimal development and survival under stress conditions. Hsfs form complex networks to activate downstream responses, but are concomitantly subjected to cell-type-dependent feedback regulation through factor-specific physical and functional interactions with chaperones belonging to Hsp90, Hsp70 and small Hsp families. There is increasing evidence that the originally assumed specialized function of Hsf/chaperone networks in the HSR turns out to be a complex central stress response system that is involved in the regulation of a broad variety of other stress responses and may also have substantial impact on various developmental processes. Understanding in detail the function of such regulatory networks is prerequisite for sustained improvement of thermotolerance in important agricultural crops.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Molecular Cell Biology of Plants, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, Frankfurt/Main, 60438, Germany.|Cluster of Excellence Frankfurt, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, Frankfurt/Main, 60438, Germany.
authors.forename: Sotirios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fragkostefanakis
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Molecular Cell Biology of Plants, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, Frankfurt/Main, 60438, Germany.
authors.forename: Sascha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Röth
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Molecular Cell Biology of Plants, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, Frankfurt/Main, 60438, Germany.|Cluster of Excellence Frankfurt, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, Frankfurt/Main, 60438, Germany.|Center of Membrane Proteomics, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, Frankfurt/Main, 60438, Germany.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schleiff
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Molecular Cell Biology of Plants, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, Frankfurt/Main, 60438, Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus-Dieter
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Scharf
mesh_terms: D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D000076249:Heat Shock Transcription Factors; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018869:Heat-Shock Response; D006358:Hot Temperature; D005810:Multigene Family; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D000076249:Heat Shock Transcription Factors; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors
keywords: chaperone; protein homeostasis; stress response; transcriptional regulation