AP2/ERF家族转录因子能特异地结合相关顺式作用元件，通过参与信号转导途径，调控大量逆境应答基因的表达，由这些基因产物来协助植物适应或抵御逆境。芹菜，属伞形科植物，有水芹、旱芹两种。本课题组已搜集整理大量的芹菜种质资源，完成了1份水芹和3份抗寒性不同的旱芹转录组高通量测序。本项目基于测序数据，分离、克隆芹菜中全部AP2/ERF家族转录因子基因，开展全基因组水平该家族转录因子的研究。完成芹菜中AP2/ERF基因在不同组织器官与发育时期、各种逆境及激素处理下的转录水平研究。分析芹菜AP2/ERF转录因子复制进化关系，初步解析芹菜转录因子调控网络并分析家族内相互关系。通过酵母单杂交系统筛选与相关顺式元件结合能力强的转录因子，通过拟南芥转基因验证，获得抗逆性能较好的芹菜转录因子。本研究有基础，研究内容和方法有新意，有利于阐明伞形花科植物转录因子的调控机制，促进伞形花科植物转录因子基础研究。

Plant growth and productivity are greatly affected by environmental stresses such as drought, high salinity, and low temperature, which have an adverse effect on the growth of plants and the productivity of crops. Many transcription factors involved in these stress-resistance pathways have been identified, among which the AP2/ERF are one of the most important factors. AR2/ERF is a large family of transcription factors in higher plant, encoding transcriptional regulators with a variety of functions involved in the developmental and physiological processes. Apium is a plant species in the family Umbelliferae. There are mainly two types, commonly known as celery and cress.We have collected a lot of germplasm resources of Apium. Transcriptome of four A. graveolens core germplasm resources (one kind of cress and three different kinds of cold-tolerance celery) have been sequenced with high-throughput sequence system. On the basis of those results, the project mainly focus in some areas are highlighted below. The establishment of an extensive picture of the AP2/ERF gene family in Apium shall be attempted. We shall identify and clone all of AP2/ERF family genes from celery and cress. Then, the expression patterns shall also be assessed in detail. The putative gene duplication and evolution of AP2/ERF family transcription factor shall be analyzed. Using yeast one-hybrid system, the more binding activity AP2/ERF transcription factor from Apium shall be selected. The function of those factors shall be studied by transgenic Arabidopsis plant. The project shall not only help to ascertain Apium transcription factor gene regulatory network, also help obtain some functional gene from Apium.