ELF4 — Arabidopsis thaliana

Summary

AT2G40080 (ELF4) in Arabidopsis thaliana encodes a protein belonging to the EARLY FLOWERING 4 family, characterized by the EARLY_FLOWERING_4 domain. The gene product is associated with multiple molecular functions including histone kinase activity, ubiquitin ligase substrate adaptor activity, phosphorelay response regulator activity, transcription factor binding, and red/far-red light photoreceptor activity. ELF4 is linked to phototransduction, circadian rhythm regulation, photoperiodism, anthocyanin accumulation in response to UV light, and maintenance of floral organ identity. It localizes to the plasmodesmatal ER, transcription regulator complex, nuclear ubiquitin ligase complex, and Cul4-RING E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. The gene has been connected to numerous agronomic traits including grain yield, photoperiod sensitivity, leaf area index, chlorophyll content, drought recovery, and flowering time. Studies of related genes in other species link the ELF4 family to virus tolerance in cucumber and grain yield in rice.