Dof transcription factors: central regulators coordinating plant growth, stress adaptation, and beyond
The DNA-binding with one finger (Dof) family comprises plant-specific transcription factors that serve as key hubs regulating plant growth, development, stress responses, and metabolism. Advances in multi-species genome sequencing have deepened our understanding of the structure and function of this family. This review systematically describes the conserved structural features of Dof proteins and their expansion patterns during plant evolution. It further focuses on the molecular mechanisms and regulatory networks underlying organ development, growth coordination, stress responses, and metabolic regulation. Comprehensive analysis reveals that the Dof family exhibits conserved core functions across evolution, along with pronounced species specificity. In terms of regulatory mechanisms, Dof proteins integrate external signals and internal transduction pathways to coordinate growth, development, and stress defense. They achieve this through multiple modes, including transcriptional regulation of target genes and protein–protein interactions. This review highlights the pivotal roles of the Dof family across diverse developmental stages and physiological processes. It thus provides a theoretical foundation for dissecting its biological mechanisms and advancing molecular breeding in crops.