title: The ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTORs ERF6 and ERF11 Antagonistically Regulate Mannitol-Induced Growth Inhibition in Arabidopsis.
abstract: Leaf growth is a tightly regulated and complex process, which responds in a dynamic manner to changing environmental conditions, but the mechanisms that reduce growth under adverse conditions are rather poorly understood. We previously identified a growth inhibitory pathway regulating leaf growth upon exposure to a low concentration of mannitol and characterized the ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (ERF)/APETALA2 transcription factor ERF6 as a central activator of both leaf growth inhibition and induction of stress tolerance genes. Here, we describe the role of the transcriptional repressor ERF11 in relation to the ERF6-mediated stress response in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Using inducible overexpression lines, we show that ERF6 induces the expression of ERF11. ERF11 in turn molecularly counteracts the action of ERF6 and represses at least some of the ERF6-induced genes by directly competing for the target gene promoters. As a phenotypical consequence of the ERF6-ERF11 antagonism, the extreme dwarfism caused by ERF6 overexpression is suppressed by overexpression of ERF11. Together, our data demonstrate that dynamic mechanisms exist to fine-tune the stress response and that ERF11 counteracts ERF6 to maintain a balance between plant growth and stress defense.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (M.D., L.V.d.B., H.C., K.V.V., D.I.);Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (M.D., L.V.d.B., H.C., K.V.V., D.I.); andRIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan (M.M.).
authors.forename: Marieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dubois
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (M.D., L.V.d.B., H.C., K.V.V., D.I.);Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (M.D., L.V.d.B., H.C., K.V.V., D.I.); andRIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan (M.M.).
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van den Broeck
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (M.D., L.V.d.B., H.C., K.V.V., D.I.);Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (M.D., L.V.d.B., H.C., K.V.V., D.I.); andRIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan (M.M.).
authors.forename: Hannes
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Claeys
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (M.D., L.V.d.B., H.C., K.V.V., D.I.);Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (M.D., L.V.d.B., H.C., K.V.V., D.I.); andRIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan (M.M.).
authors.forename: Kaatje
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Vlierberghe
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (M.D., L.V.d.B., H.C., K.V.V., D.I.);Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (M.D., L.V.d.B., H.C., K.V.V., D.I.); andRIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan (M.M.).
authors.forename: Minami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (M.D., L.V.d.B., H.C., K.V.V., D.I.);Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (M.D., L.V.d.B., H.C., K.V.V., D.I.); andRIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan (M.M.) diinz@psb.vib-ugent.be.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3217-8407
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Inzé
mesh_terms: D000598:Amino Acids, Cyclic / Q000494:pharmacology; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology; D005030:Ethylenes / Q000378:metabolism*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects*; D008353:Mannitol / Q000009:adverse effects; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000378:metabolism*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000598:Amino Acids, Cyclic; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C581417:ERF11 protein, Arabidopsis; C582825:ERF6 protein, Arabidopsis; D005030:Ethylenes; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C023863:1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid; D008353:Mannitol; D003907:Dexamethasone; C036216:ethylene