An efficient protocol for functional studies of apple transcription factors using a glucocorticoid receptor fusion system.

Premise: We report a protocol for studying the function of apple ( ×) transcription factors based on the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) system, which allows the dexamethasone (DEX)-mediated activation of plant transcription factors to monitor the expression levels of their potential target genes.

Methods And Results: Apple leaves are transformed with a vector that allows the expression of the studied transcription factor (i.e.