AtERF#111/ABR1 is involved in the wounding response

AtERF#111/ABR1 belongs to the group X of the ERF/AP2 transcription factor family (GXERFs) and is shoot specifically induced under submergence and hypoxia. It was described to be an ABA-response repressor, but our data hint at a completely different function. Here we present evidence that AtERF#111 is involved in the wounding response. Expression profiling of ERF#111-overexpressing (OE) plants demonstrates that AtERF#111 is a transcriptional activator of wounding response genes. Furthermore, direct target genes of AtERF#111 were identified by microarray analyses. However, knockout mutants of AtERF#111 only show a slightly reduced wounding response, suggesting the involvement of other GXERFs in wound signaling and repair mechanisms. Three experimental sets with two replicates each were performed. Experiment 1: Comparison of 7-day-old seedlings overexpressing AtERF#111 with wildtype seedlings. Experiment 2: Wounding response after 3 hr of wildtype and AtERF#111 knockout lines. Experiment 3: Identification of direct target genes for AtERF#111 in leaf protoplasts.