ELF3 — Arabidopsis thaliana

Summary

AT2G25930, known as ELF3 or EARLY FLOWERING 3 in Arabidopsis thaliana, encodes an ELF3-like family protein with diverse molecular functions including receptor tyrosine kinase binding, oxidoreductase activity, histone kinase activity, and auxin binding. The gene is associated with circadian rhythms, photoperiodic flowering, and plant morphology, as observed directly in this species. ELF3 has been connected to numerous agronomically relevant traits including harvest index, drought stress response, photoperiod sensitivity, leaf area, flower number, fruit set, and inflorescence length. It is associated with biological processes such as phototransduction, chloroplast-nucleus signaling, floral organ morphogenesis, and response to far-red light. The protein localizes to chromatin, nuclear speck, and the transcription regulator complex. Studies of related genes in other species associate the family with heat stress response, wilt disease resistance, and grain yield.