Figure 11.

Tentative model of the role of ERF.F12 in repression of ripening initiation. A, Before the onset of ripening initiation (i.e. MG stage), ERF.F12 is highly expressed and its encoded protein interacts with the co-repressors TPL2 and recruits HDA1 and HDA3 to form a repressor complex that epigenetically represses the transcription of ripening-related genes such as ACS2, ACS4, PG2a, and PL. B, During the onset of ripening initiation (i.e. Br stage), ERF.F12 transcript levels decrease upon climacteric ethylene production or other developmental/phytohormonal signals, which result in a reduction of ERF.F12 available to form an ERF.F12–TPL2–HDA1/3 complex, leading to histone modification and activation of the expression of ripening-related genes.