TCP genes: a family snapshot ten years later

TCP genes encode plant-specific transcription factors with a bHLH motif that allows DNA binding and protein-protein interactions. The TCP gene family has five members in the lycophytes and >20 members in the eudicots. Gene duplication and diversification has generated two clades (class I and II) with slightly different TCP domains. Here, we summarize our current knowledge of the evolution of this family, their regulation, the biochemical activity of their proteins and the biological function of some members, in particular, in the control of cell proliferation in developing tissues. Increasing knowledge of the functions of TCP genes should enable their use as tools to modulate plant growth patterns and to generate novel morphologies in species of agronomical interest.