Abstract
AP2/EREBP gene family consists one of the largest groups of transcriptional factors in plants. Previously we showed that AtEBP, one of AP2/EREBP proteins, functioned as a transcriptional factor and suggested that AtEBP controlled plant defense genes transcriptionally.
In this study, to evaluate whether or not AtEBP plays a key role on the resistance to pathogens, we treated Arabidopsis plants with Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 with an avirulent gene, AvrRpm1. The results showed that the level of cell death during hypersensitive response (HR) increased in an AtEBP knockout line and decreased in AtEBP over-expressing lines. These results indicate that AtEBP plays a cell death suppressor on plant during HR. We have been analyzing these plants in terms of the general resistance to pathogens. On the basis of these results, we will discuss the role of AtEBP on plant cell death.
