Functional Analysis of the WRKY Transcription Factor Gene Family from Arabidopsis
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Project Summary

Sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins containing the novel WRKY zinc finger motifs are a recently identified superfamily of transcription factors found only in plants. The few cases where functional studies are conducted indicate that WRKY proteins play important roles in various biological processes unique to plants, including disease resistance, senescence, seed germination and trichome development. This project is aimed at determining the functions of 72 identified Arabidopsis WRKY genes at three different levels. First, the expression patterns of the Arabidopsis WRKY genes will be determined during plant growth, development and responses to biotic and abiotic stress conditions. Secondly, both loss-of-function mutants (RNAi and knockout mutants) and constitutive expressing gain-of- function mutants for the WRKY genes will be produced and analyzed for altered phenotypes in growth, development and responses to environmental conditions. Thirdly, interacting proteins for all expressed Arabidopsis WRKY proteins will be identified in order to understand the molecular mechanisms by which individual WRKY proteins achieve their in vivo regulatory specificity. Progress in these studies will lead to a comprehensive understanding of the biological functions and molecular activities of plant WRKY proteins. These studies will also provide general tools and approaches useful for functional analysis of large gene families, particularly those encoding DNA-binding transcription factors. The knowledge obtained from the project will enhance our understanding of the molecular basis for various important plant biological processes in which WRKY proteins are involved and provide potential targets for improving important agronomic traits in crop plants.

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