BES1 — Arabidopsis thaliana

Summary

AT1G19350 (BES1, also known as BZR2) encodes a protein with transcription regulator activity and sequence-specific DNA binding activity, belonging to the BZR/BES1 protein family. In Arabidopsis, BES1 is associated with drought memory, cell quiescence, stem cell development and differentiation, paracrine signaling, sterol breakdown, positive regulation of ethylene biosynthesis, and regulation of the vernalization response. It has been linked to numerous traits including seed volume and shape, tiller bud dormancy and angle, gravity response, female sterility, leaf area and width, inflorescence length and height, fruit set and quality, total soluble sugar content, stomatal processes, light quality and blue light sensitivity, sulfur sensitivity, and cucurbit downy mildew response. The gene is also connected to cold and chilling tolerance, photosynthesis, sucrose accumulation, seed number, pollen viability and germination, fruit ripening, cadmium resistance, and flowering time. Studies in tomato link related genes to xylem differentiation, wood formation, disease resistance, and fruit firmness, while rice studies connect them to male meiotic cytokinesis, ovule initiation, and microtubule stability.