Regulatory role of ABA-responsive element binding factors in plant abiotic stress response.

As sessile organisms, plants are inevitably threatened by various abiotic stresses. Abiotic stresses seriously affect plant growth and development and crop yield. Plants have evolved complex regulatory networks to resist stresses that occur during their life cycle. The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) is accumulated under osmotic stress conditions such as drought, salt, and others. The ABA signaling pathway plays a key role in plant response to abiotic stresses, in which ABA-responsive element binding factors (ABFs) play a crucial role in the whole process. ABFs are a class of basic leucine zipper proteins (bZIPs) that specifically recognize ABA response elements and belong to the a subfamily of the bZIP family. The discoveries of ABFs-mediated tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses, including salinity, drought, cold, and heat stress are highlighted and discussed in this review. The aim of this review is to further analyze the mechanisms of abiotic stress regulation mediated by ABFs and to lay the foundation for breeding superior stress-resistant crop varieties.