PROSITE logo

PROSITE documentation PDOC51032
AP2/ERF domain profile


View entry in original PROSITE document format
View entry in raw text format (no links)
PURL: https://purl.expasy.org/prosite/documentation/PDOC51032

Description

Ethylene is an endogenous plant hormone that influences many aspects of plant growth and development. Some defense related genes that are induced by ethylene were found to contain a cis-regulatory element known as the Ethylene-Responsive Element (ERE) [1]. Sequence analysis on various ERE regions identified a short motif rich in G/C nucleotides, the GCC-box, essential for the response to ethylene. This short motif is recognized by a family of transcrition factors, the ERE binding factors (ERF) [2,3].

ERF proteins contain an about 60 amino acid region which is also found in the APETALA2 (AP2) protein, the AP2/ERF domain [4]. It has been shown in various proteins that the AP2/ERF domain is necessary and sufficient to bind GCC-box [5].

The structure of the AP2/ERF domain in complex with the target DNA has been solved (see <PDB:1GCC>) [6]. The structure resemble that of bacteriophage integrases and the methyl-CpG-binding domain (MBD) (see <PDOC50982>): a three-stranded β-sheet and an α helice almost parallel to the β-sheet. It contacts DNA via Arg and Trp residues located in the β-sheet.

Some proteins known to contain an AP2/ERF domain are listed below:

  • Arabidopsis thaliana ERF1 to 6.
  • Tobacco ethylene-responsive element-binding proteins (EREBPs), homologues of ERFs proteins.
  • Arabidopsis thaliana AP2 protein. It regulates meristeme identity, floral organ specification and seed coat development.
  • Arabidopsis thaliana C-repeat/dehydration-responsive element (DRE) binding factor 1 (CBF1 or DREB1) and DREB2. They bind a GCC-box-like element found in dehydratation responsive element. Binding to this element mediates cold-inducible transcription.
  • Arabidopsis thaliana and maize abscisic acid (ABA)-insensitive 4 (ABI4) proteins. They bind to a GCC-box-like element found in ABA-responsive genes.
  • Octadecanoid-derivative responsive catharenthus AP2-domain (ORCA2) protein. It binds a GCC-box-like element in the jasmonate responsive element of Str promoter.
  • Tomato Pto-interacting proteins 4 to 6 (Pti4 to Pti6). Pti5 and 6 bind a GCC-box-like element in regulatory regions of various pathogenesis-related (PR) genes.
  • Trichodesmium erythraeum, Tetrahymena thermophila, Enterobacteria phage RB49 and bacteriophage Felix 01 HNH endonucleases. HNH endonucleases are homing endonucleases that move extensively via lateral gene transfer [7].

The profile we developed covers the whole AP2/ERF domain.

Last update:

November 2004 / First entry.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Technical section

PROSITE method (with tools and information) covered by this documentation:

AP2_ERF, PS51032; AP2/ERF domain profile  (MATRIX)


References

1AuthorsBroglie K.E. Biddle P. Cressman R. Broglie R.
TitleFunctional analysis of DNA sequences responsible for ethylene regulation of a bean chitinase gene in transgenic tobacco.
SourcePlant Cell 1:599-607(1989).
PubMed ID2535512
DOI10.1105/tpc.1.6.599

2AuthorsOhme-Takagi M. Shinshi H.
SourcePlant Cell 7:173-182(1995).

3AuthorsFujimoto S.Y. Ohta M. Usui A. Shinshi H. Ohme-Takagi M.
TitleArabidopsis ethylene-responsive element binding factors act as transcriptional activators or repressors of GCC box-mediated gene expression.
SourcePlant Cell 12:393-404(2000).
PubMed ID10715325

4AuthorsWeigel D.
TitleThe APETALA2 domain is related to a novel type of DNA binding domain.
SourcePlant Cell 7:388-389(1995).
PubMed ID7773013
DOI10.1105/tpc.7.4.388

5AuthorsHao D. Ohme-Takagi M. Sarai A.
TitleUnique mode of GCC box recognition by the DNA-binding domain of ethylene-responsive element-binding factor (ERF domain) in plant.
SourceJ. Biol. Chem. 273:26857-26861(1998).
PubMed ID9756931

6AuthorsAllen M.D. Yamasaki K. Ohme-Takagi M. Tateno M. Suzuki M.
TitleA novel mode of DNA recognition by a beta-sheet revealed by the solution structure of the GCC-box binding domain in complex with DNA.
SourceEMBO J. 17:5484-5496(1998).
PubMed ID9736626
DOI10.1093/emboj/17.18.5484

7AuthorsMagnani E. Sjolander K. Hake S.
TitleFrom endonucleases to transcription factors: evolution of the AP2 DNA binding domain in plants.
SourcePlant Cell 16:2265-2277(2004).
PubMed ID15319480
DOI10.1105/tpc.104.023135



PROSITE is copyrighted by the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License, see prosite_license.html.