The Z-box binding factors (ZBFs): emerging new facets in Arabidopsis seedling development

Abstract

The transcriptional regulatory networks play important roles in Arabidopsis seedling development. It is well established that large-scale transcriptional reprogramming occurs during transition between skotomorphogenesis and photomorphogenesis. ZBFs (Z-box Binding Factors), represented by a set of genes, ZBF1 (encoding ZBF1/MYC2 bHLH protein), ZBF2 (encoding ZBF2/GBF1 bZIP protein) and ZBF3 (encoding ZBF3/CAM7 calmodulin protein), have been found to play crucial roles during these processes. ZBFs not only individually regulate the photomorphogenic growth but also coordinate among themselves and with other transcriptional networks to influence numerous aspects of plant growth and development. Significant progress has been made in recent years on the understanding of how ZBFs genetically and molecularly interact among themselves or with key regulatory components of light signaling pathways to control the developmental processes. In this review, we mostly focus on the current state of research of ZBFs in Arabidopsis seedling development.