ERF1 — Capsicum annuum

Summary

CaERF1 (T459_05577) on pepper chromosome 2 encodes an ethylene-responsive transcription factor 9, a member of the AP2/ERF domain superfamily with DNA-binding and transcription corepressor and coactivator activities. The gene is associated with diverse biological processes including cellular responses to drought and salinity, jasmonic acid-mediated systemic resistance, glucosinolate metabolism, trichome branching, floral meristem determinacy, and regulation of secondary shoot formation. It localises to the nucleus, cytosol, nucleolus, and mediator complex. CaERF1 is linked to agronomically important traits such as fruit length and weight, plant height, flowering time, drought tolerance, submergence tolerance, disease tolerance, photosynthetic rate, seed viability, and heterosis. Studies of related genes in other species connect the family to cold and salt tolerance, pathogen resistance, leaf senescence, and root elongation.