FaERF105 Confers Drought and Cold Tolerance Through Upregulating Antioxidant Capacity Associated With ROS Scavenging

A critical regulator of plant tolerance to abiotic challenges is the AP2/ERF transcription factor superfamily, which encompasses four main subfamilies: AP2, ERF, RAV, and Soloist. In this study, we successfully isolated and cloned a new ERF transcription factor, named FaERF105, from Fragaria × ananassa. Subcellular localization assays demonstrated that the FaERF105 protein resides within the nucleus. Overexpressing FaERF105 conferred enhanced tolerance to drought and cold stress in both Arabidopsis thaliana and F. × ananassa. Physiologically, the transgenic lines maintained higher levels of proline and chlorophyll while exhibiting robust antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, POD, and CAT). Conversely, the accumulation of oxidative damage markers, such as MDA and ROS (O₂ ⁻ and H₂O₂) was significantly mitigated compared to unloaded line (UL) and wild-type (WT) controls. Taken together, the data demonstrate that FaERF105-mediated regulation is essential for plant adaptation to adverse environmental conditions, specifically drought and cold.