Precise scheduling of B-box transcription factors: the core network for balancing plant growth, metabolism and stress resistance

The B-box (BBX) zinc finger transcription factor family functions as a central regulatory hub in plants, responsible for perceiving and integrating environmental signals to coordinate growth, development, and stress adaptation. Typically, members of this family typically contain one or two conserved B-box domains, with certain members also containing CCT domains or VP motifs, these multi-domain architectures underlie the functional diversity of BBX proteins. This review summarizes the key roles of BBX proteins across the plant life cycle-including growth regulation, secondary metabolism, photomorphogenesis, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Given the distinct regulatory capacity of BBX proteins in harmonizing environmental signals with crucial agronomic traits in horticultural crops, such as stress resilience and secondary metabolite production, further investigation is needed to decipher functional redundancy and interaction networks among BBX members, elucidate their integrated response mechanisms under complex field conditions. Analyzing these crucial regulatory networks will establish a fundamental framework and molecular targets for precisely manipulating the core domains or interaction interfaces of BBX proteins, thereby improving crop quality and resilience through approaches like gene editing, thus promoting their effectiveness in precision breeding.