title: Calmodulin-binding transcription activators and perspectives for applications in biotechnology.
abstract: In recent years, a novel family of calmodulin-binding transcription activators (CAMTAs) has been reported in various species. The CAMTAs share a conserved domain organization, with a CG-1 DNA-binding domain, a transcription factor immunoglobulin domain, several ankyrin repeats, a calmodulin-binding domain, and a varying number of IQ motifs. CAMTAs participate in transcriptional regulation by recognizing and binding to a specific cis-element: (G/A/C)CGCG(C/G/T). Plants suffer from the environmental challenges, including abiotic and biotic stresses. Investigations in various plant species indicate a broad range of CAMTA functions involved in developmental regulation, environmental stress response, and hormone cross talk. In this review, we focus on the expression patterns and biological functions of CAMTAs to explore their probable applications in biotechnology. Furthermore, the identification and phylogenetic analysis of CAMTAs in crops could open new perspectives for enhancing stress tolerance, which could lead to improved crop production.
authors.affiliation: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 310036, China.
authors.forename: Chenjia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 310036, China.
authors.forename: Yanjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 310036, China. liqundu@hznu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Liqun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 310036, China. whz62@163.com.
authors.forename: Huizhong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators
keywords: Abiotic stress; Biotic stress; CAMTA; Crop breeding