Review – Cytokinin Response Factors: Responding to more than cytokinin

Abstract Cytokinin Response Factors (CRFs) are a family of transcription factors which make up a side branch of the classical cytokinin two-component signaling pathway. CRFs were originally identified and have been primarily studied in Arabidopsis thaliana, although orthologs have be found throughout all land plants. Research into the evolution of CRFs as sub-group members of the larger APETALA2/Ethylene Response Factor (AP2/ERF) family has yielded interesting and useful insights related to the functional roles of CRFs in plants. Recent studies of CRFs suggest that these transcription factors are a lot more than just a group of cytokinin related genes and play important roles in both plant development and environmental stress response. This review focuses on recent advances in understanding the roles of CRFs beyond cytokinin, in reproductive development and abiotic stress response, as well as to other environmental cues.