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Calmodulin-binding transcription activators and perspectives for applications in biotechnology

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Abstract

In recent years, a novel family of calmodulin-binding transcription activators (CAMTAs) has been reported in various species. The CAMTAs share a conserved domain organization, with a CG-1 DNA-binding domain, a transcription factor immunoglobulin domain, several ankyrin repeats, a calmodulin-binding domain, and a varying number of IQ motifs. CAMTAs participate in transcriptional regulation by recognizing and binding to a specific cis-element: (G/A/C)CGCG(C/G/T). Plants suffer from the environmental challenges, including abiotic and biotic stresses. Investigations in various plant species indicate a broad range of CAMTA functions involved in developmental regulation, environmental stress response, and hormone cross talk. In this review, we focus on the expression patterns and biological functions of CAMTAs to explore their probable applications in biotechnology. Furthermore, the identification and phylogenetic analysis of CAMTAs in crops could open new perspectives for enhancing stress tolerance, which could lead to improved crop production.

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Acknowledgments

The authors were funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31401935) and Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. LQ14C060001.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 310036, China

    Chenjia Shen, Yanjun Yang, Liqun Du & Huizhong Wang

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  1. Chenjia Shen
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  2. Yanjun Yang
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  3. Liqun Du
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Correspondence to Liqun Du or Huizhong Wang.

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Shen, C., Yang, Y., Du, L. et al. Calmodulin-binding transcription activators and perspectives for applications in biotechnology. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 99, 10379–10385 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-015-6966-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-015-6966-6

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