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Updated: May 31, 2026

Isolation and Transcriptome Analysis of Plant Cell Types
Published on: April 7, 2023
MADS and more: transcription factors that shape the plant
Rainer Melzer1, Günter Theissen
1Department of Genetics, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany. rainer.melzer@uni-jena.de
Abstract:
All major processes of life depend on differential gene expression, which is largely controlled by the activity of transcription factors (TFs). In plants many TFs are encoded by members of multigene families that expanded much more dramatically during land plant evolution than during the evolution of animals and fungi. Here we review typical features such as domain structure, DNA binding, and protein interactions of TFs from some families that have contributed to the development and evolution of plant-specific structures in especially important ways. Our survey includes the MADS-domain protein family involved in specifying meristem and organ identity; YABBY proteins controlling lamina outgrowth; TCP proteins controlling floral zygomorphy and apical dominance; and finally homeodomain proteins involved in stem-cell maintenance and many other processes. Common themes as well as interesting differences between these "molecular architects of plant body plans" will become apparent.
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Transcription
Transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA sequence by RNA polymerase. It is the first step in producing a protein from a gene sequence. Additionally, many other proteins and regulatory sequences are involved in the proper synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA). Regulation of transcription is responsible for the differentiation of all the different types of cells and often for the proper cellular response to environmental signals.
Transcription Can Produce Different Kinds...
Transcription
Transcription Can Produce Different Kinds of RNA Molecules
In eukaryotes,...
Transcription Factors
Transcription Factors
Morphogenesis
Cell Signaling in Plants

