The Structure, Classification, Functional Diversity and Regulatory Mechanism of Plant C2H2 Transcription Factors

作者：Junbai Ma, Xinyi Zhang, Shan Jiang, Shuoyao Fei, Lingyang Kong, Meitong Pan, Wei Ma, Weichao Ren · 发表于：Biology · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.3390/biology15060471 · 被引用次数：2 · 研究领域：Plant Molecular Biology Research、Plant Gene Expression Analysis、Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance

Cys2/His2-type zinc finger transcription factors (C2H2 TFs) constitute one of the largest and most functionally diverse transcription factor families in plants, playing core regulatory roles in multiple aspects of plant growth, development, and stress adaptation. Based on literature data from databases including PubMed (1995-April 2026) and integrated with bioinformatics analyses, this review provides a comprehensive overview of this family. We first summarize the structural characteristics and classification systems of C2H2 TFs, and elucidate their evolutionary dynamics from lower plants to angiosperms. Regarding their impact on plant organ development, beyond key biological processes, this review details the molecular mechanisms of C2H2 TFs in floral organ morphogenesis (e.g., petal, sepal, stamen, and ovule development), pollen fertility maintenance, and flowering time regulation. Concurrently, we systematically analyze their functional pathways in responses to abiotic stresses (drought, high salinity, low temperature, aluminum toxicity, etc.) and biotic stresses (pathogens, pests), clarifying the molecular networks through which they coordinate reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis, stomatal movement, and osmotic regulation by modulating hormone signaling pathways such as ABA, SA, and JA. Furthermore, this review discusses major limitations of current research, including knowledge gaps concerning functional redundancy, pseudogenization phenomena, and cell type-specifi...