ARF14 — Cicer arietinum

Summary

ARF14 (auxin response factor 14) on chickpea chromosome 1 encodes a protein containing B3 DNA-binding, AUX/IAA, and PB1-like domains, with transcription corepressor activity and sequence-specific DNA binding. It is associated with auxin and jasmonic acid signaling, gibberellic acid homeostasis, fruit ripening, and negative regulation of transcription. The gene has been linked to numerous developmental traits including shoot and root meristem development, flower and seed development, vascular tissue pattern formation, and abaxial cell fate specification. Associations with lateral root length, adventitious root number, flowering time, leaf and cotyledon morphology, and plant size have been observed. Studies of related genes in other species connect this gene family to leaf senescence, seed weight, harvest index, chlorophyll content, and responses to pathogens including Fusarium wilt resistance.