The EAR-motif of the Cys2/His2-type zinc finger protein Zat7 plays a key role in the defense response of Arabidopsis to salinity stress.

Cys2/His2-type zinc finger proteins, which contain the EAR transcriptional repressor domain, are thought to play a key role in regulating the defense response of plants to biotic and abiotic stress conditions. Although constitutive expression of several of these proteins was shown to enhance the tolerance of transgenic plants to abiotic stress, it is not clear whether the EAR-motif of these proteins is involved in this function. In addition, it is not clear whether suppression of plant growth, induced in transgenic plants by different Cys2/His2 EAR-containing proteins, is mediated by the EAR-domain.

Gain- and loss-of-function mutations in Zat10 enhance the tolerance of plants to abiotic stress.

C(2)H(2)-zinc finger proteins that contain the EAR repressor domain are thought to play a key role in modulating the defense response of plants to abiotic stress. Constitutive expression of the C(2)H(2)-EAR zinc finger protein Zat10 in Arabidopsis was found to elevate the expression of reactive oxygen-defense transcripts and to enhance the tolerance of plants to salinity, heat and osmotic stress. Surprisingly, knockout and RNAi mutants of Zat10 were also more tolerant to osmotic and salinity stress.