Using hybrid transcription factors to study gene function in rice

Dear Editors,Transcription factors （TF） play important roles in plant growth and development, which determine crop productivi- ty, quality, and stress tolerance. However, the basic mecha- nism governing transcription regulation by TF remains largely unclear in plants. It is well known that TF proteins contain at least two functional domains, the DNA-binding domain and the transcription regulatory domain. The VP16 transcription activation domain of human Herpes simplex virus and the EAR transcription suppression domain of many plant TF proteins are two of the best-known transcrip- tion regulatory domains [1,2].