DOF Transcription Factors: Regulatory Hubs Coordinating Plant Growth, Development and Stress Tolerance.

Under global climate warming, plants evolve unique growth and developmental strategies to cope with frequent abiotic stresses. The plant-specific DNA-BINDING WITH ONE FINGER (DOF) transcription factors (TFs) originated in green algae and are phylogenetically divided into four subfamilies (A, B, C, D), governing plant growth development and stress adaptation. Subfamily B mainly regulates vegetative growth, subfamily C is predominantly involved in seed development and vegetative growth, and subfamily D1 (CYCLING DOF FACTOR, CDF) participates extensively in vegetative growth, flowering, and stress responses. Given emerging studies on DOF functions, a comprehensive review integrating recent advances, especially in seed dormancy, reproductive development and stress tolerance remains lacking. This review integrates current advances in the multifaceted roles of the DOF family, including regulating seed germination, vegetative growth, reproductive development and leaf senescence, as well as coordinating adaptive responses to various abiotic stresses.