Allelic variants of OsSUB1A cause differential expression of transcription factor genes in response to submergence in rice.

Background: Flooding during seasonal monsoons affects millions of hectares of rice-cultivated areas across Asia. Submerged rice plants die within a week due to lack of oxygen, light and excessive elongation growth to escape the water. Submergence tolerance was first reported in an aus-type rice landrace, FR13A, and the ethylene-responsive transcription factor (TF) gene SUB1A-1 was identified as the major tolerance gene.

A novel bipartite nuclear localization signal with an atypically long linker in DOF transcription factors.

Large molecules require a nuclear localization signal (NLS) for translocation into the nucleus. Classical NLSs are rich in basic amino acids and they represent three groups, based on their structural features: SV40 T-antigen-type, yeast mating factor Matalpha-2-type, and bipartite NLSs. DNA-binding-with-one-finger (DOF) transcription factors play important roles in plants, and although their nuclear localization has been demonstrated in several cases, public protein localization prediction tools fail to detect NLS motifs in these proteins.

A quantitative RT-PCR platform for high-throughput expression profiling of 2500 rice transcription factors.

Background: Quantitative reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) has been demonstrated to be particularly suitable for the analysis of weakly expressed genes, such as those encoding transcription factors. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an important crop and the most advanced model for monocotyledonous species; its nuclear genome has been sequenced and molecular tools are being developed for functional analyses.

PlnTFDB: an integrative plant transcription factor database.

Background: Transcription factors (TFs) are key regulatory proteins that enhance or repress the transcriptional rate of their target genes by binding to specific promoter regions (i.e. cis-acting elements) upon activation or de-activation of upstream signaling cascades.