Transcription Factors of the GLRs Family Are Involved in Cytokinin-Dependent Regulation of Plastid RNA Polymerase SCA3 Gene Expression during Deetiolation of Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

Light-dependent transcription factors GLKs of Arabidopsis thaliana are involved in the anterograde regulation of chloroplast biogenesis during deetiolation: they regulate the expression of photosynthetic nuclear-encoded genes and also mediate the transcription of plastid genes. Chloroplast biogenesis is determined at the same time by light and by endogenous factors (phytohormones), among which cytokinins significantly accelerate the formation of photosynthetically active chloroplasts. In this work, it was shown that trans-factors GLKs function as cytokinin-dependent regulators, mediating the positive cytokinin effect on the plastome expression through the activation of transcription of the SCA3 nuclear gene encoding the plastid RNA polymerase RPOTp.

Keywords: Arabidopsis thaliana; chloroplast biogenesis; cytokinins; deetiolation; gene expression; transcription factors.