Transcription Factors PvERF15 and PvMTF-1 Form a Cadmium Stress Transcriptional Pathway

In plants, cadmium (Cd)-responsive transcription factors are key downstream effectors of Cd stress transcriptional pathways, which are capable of converging Cd stress signals through triggering the expression of Cd detoxification genes. However, the upstream transcriptional regulatory pathways that modulate their responses to Cd are less clear. Previously, we identified the bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris) METAL RESPONSE ELEMENT-BINDING TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR1 ( PvMTF-1) that responds to Cd and confers Cd tolerance in planta. Here, we demonstrate an upstream transcriptional regulation of the PvMTF-1 response to Cd. Using a yeast one-hybrid system, we cloned the bean ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR15 ( PvERF15) that binds to the PvMTF-1 promoter. PvERF15 was strongly induced by Cd stress, and its overexpression resulted in the up-regulation of PvMTF-1. DNA-protein interaction assays further revealed that PvERF15 binds directly to a 19-bp AC-rich element in the PvMTF-1 promoter. The AC-rich element serves as a positive element bound by PvERF15 to activate gene expression. More importantly, knockdown of PvERF15 by RNA interference resulted in reduced Cd-induced expression of PvMTF-1. PvERF15 seems to be involved in Cd tolerance, since knockdown of PvERF15 by RNA interference in bean leaf discs decreased Cd tolerance in a transient assay. Since PvERF15 is a component of the Cd stress transcriptional pathway in beans and PvMTF-1 is one of its downstream targets, our findings provide a PvERF15/ PvMTF-1 transcriptional pathway and thereby contribute to the understanding of Cd stress transcriptional regulatory pathways in plants.