Homo- and Hetero-Dimerization of BrbZIP Transcription Factors Containing Asparagine-Rich Region

Members of the bZIP family function in abiotic stress tolerance in plants. Previously, we identified six candidate cold related genes using transcript profile analysis of BrbZIP family members. In this study, we performed interaction analysis between the candidate proteins and found that two BrbZIP proteins formed homo- and hetero-dimers with each other. These two proteins and their homologs from Arabidopsis contained N-rich low complexity regions (LCRs). The results obtained from this study provide valuable information for understanding the molecular mechanism of the signal transduction involving BrbZIP proteins containing N-rich LCRs, particularly in cold stress response. Additionally, it supports the idea that the study of LCRs in bZIP proteins might provide another clue for elucidating bZIP protein function. (213003-04-3-SB110)