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Fine-tuning of ethylene production plays an important role in developmental processes and m plant responses to stress, but very little is known about the regulation of ethylene response factor (ERF) proteins in ethylene biosynthesis genes and ethylene production. Identifying cis-acting elements and transcription factors that play a role in this process, therefore, is important. Previously, a tomato (Solanum lycopersicum [f. sp. Lycopersicon esculentum]) ERF protein, LeERF2, an allele of TERF2, was reported to confer ethylene triple response on plants. This paper reports the transcriptional modulation of LeERF2/TERF2 in ethylene biosynthesis in tomato and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). Using overexpressing and antisense LeERF2/TERF2 transgenic tomato, we found that LeERF2/TERF2 is an important regulator in the expression of ethylene biosynthesis genes and the production of ethylene. Expression analysis revealed that LeERF2/TERF2 is ethylene inducible, and ethylene production stimulated by ethylene was suppressed in antisense LeERF2/TERF2 transgenic tomato, indicating LeERF2/TERF2 to be a positive regulator in the feedback loop of ethylene induction. Further research showed that LeERF2/TERF2 conservatively modulates ethylene biosynthesis in tobacco and that such regulation in tobacco is associated with the elongation of the hypocotyl and insensitivity to abscisic acid and glucose during germination and seedling development. The effects on ethylene synthesis were similar to those of another ERF protein, TERF1, because TERF1 and LeERF2/TERF2 have overlapping roles in the transcriptional regulation of ethylene biosynthesis in tobacco. Biochemical analysis showed that LeERF2/TERF2 interacted with CCC box in the promoter of NtACS3 and with dehydration-responsive element in the promoter of LeA CO3, resulting in transcriptional activation of the genes for ethylene biosynthesis in tomato and tobacco, which is a novel regulatory function of ERF proteins in plant ethylene biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abiotic stresses such as drought, cold, and salinity affect normal growth and development in plants. The production and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause oxidative stress under these abiotic conditions. Recent research has elucidated the significant role of ethylene response factor (ERF) proteins in plant adaptation to abiotic stresses. Our earlier functional analysis of an ERF protein, JERF3, indicated that JERF3-expressing tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) adapts better to salinity in vitro. This article extends that study by showing that transcriptional regulation of JERF3 in the oxidative stress response modulates the increased tolerance to abiotic stresses. First, we confirm that JERF3-expressing tobacco enhances adaptation to drought, freezing, and osmotic stress during germination and seedling development. Then we demonstrate that JERF3-expressing tobacco imparts not only higher expression of osmotic stress genes compared to wild-type tobacco, but also the activation of photosynthetic carbon assimilation/metabolism and oxidative genes. More importantly, this regulation of the expression of oxidative genes subsequently enhances the activities of superoxide dismutase but reduces the content of ROS in tobacco under drought, cold, salt, and abscisic acid treatments. This indicates that JERF3 also modulates the abiotic stress response via the regulation of the oxidative stress response. Further assays indicate that JERF3 activates the expression of reporter genes driven by the osmotic-responsive GCC box, DRE, and CE1 and by oxidative-responsive as-1 in transient assays, suggesting the transcriptional activation of JERF3 in the expression of genes involved in response to oxidative and osmotic stress. Our results therefore establish that JERF3 activates the expression of such genes through transcription, resulting in decreased accumulation of ROS and, in turn, enhanced adaptation to drought, freezing, and salt in tobacco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]