WRKY3 — Oryza sativa Japonica

Summary

Rice WRKY3 (also known as WRKY76, OsWRKY71, and other synonyms) on chromosome 9 encodes a WRKY domain-containing transcription factor with DNA-binding, transcription cis-regulatory region binding, and protein dimerization activities. In rice, WRKY3 is associated with drought tolerance, cold tolerance, disease resistance to blast fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae), and responses to jasmonate and salicylic acid. It has been linked to osmotic stress tolerance, biotic stress responses, and transcriptional repression. The gene is associated with regulation of auxin biosynthesis, anthocyanin metabolism, photosynthesis light reactions, leaf senescence, and gibberellin metabolism. Localization evidence places the product in the nucleus, cytoplasm, chloroplast inner membrane, and plastid. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to defense responses, salicylic acid and jasmonate signaling, thermomorphogenesis, and abiotic stress responses.