MYB transcription factors for enhanced drought tolerance in plants

In the actual scenario of human population growth, the increase in crop productivity is mandatory for a sustainable way to meet future food demands. However, crop yields worldwide are being severely affected by adverse environmental conditions, which nowadays are even more aggravated by the phenomenon of climate change. Among the different abiotic stresses, drought stress is very important and causes more damage to global crop production. Plants have evolved complex mechanisms of defense to non-optimal growing conditions and, after exposure to stress, a myriad of distinct responses are initiated. At the molecular level, several changes occur in the transcriptome, leading to the activation of stress-responsive genes. Transcription factors are key elements engaged in the control of the distinct molecular processes of response to drought stress. In this context, MYB transcription factors assume special importance, as several reports have demonstrated the involvement of these molecules in the regulation of drought responsive genes. In this chapter, a review of the results obtained by engineering MYB transcription factors in plants will be presented and the possibilities of using these regulatory genes as tools for the development of drought tolerant plants will be discussed.