E-specific primers (Table S1), and the SYBR ExScript RT-PCR kit (Takara, Shiga, Japan) protocol to confirm changes of gene expression. The RT-Q-PCR cycling was performed at 37uC (3 min), 95uC (4 min), 40 cycles at 95uC (15 s), 56uC (40 s), 72uC (40 s). The expression of all genes was normalized against the expression of the endogenous control gene (Actin). Values displayed are mean fold change as calculated by the 2-DDCT method. All experiments were repeated three times.Overexpression in A. thalianaThe full-length AaERF1 coding sequence was amplified with primers AaERF1-F and AaERF1-R by Platinum PrimeSTAR HS DNA polymerase (Takara, Shiga, Japan) and subcloned into pMD18-T simple vector. The pMD18-T-AaERF1 vector was digested by SacI and BamHI. The full-length ORF of AaERF1 was cloned into the BamHI and SacI sites of the pCAMBIA2300+ vector under the 35S promoter to generate pCAMBIA230035S::AaERF1::NOS. The construct was transferred into Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV3101, and then introduced into A. thaliana (ecotype Columbia) MedChemExpress GSK -3203591 plants using the floral dip 64849-39-4 web method [47]. Transgenic plants were selected on MS plates containing 50 mg/ mL kanamycin. PCR 
was performed to verify the transgenic status of the screened plants.RNAi in A. annuaThe 201 bp fragment of 15900046 AaERF1, corresponding to AaERF1 cDNA from nucleotides 179?78, was cloned from A. annua by RT CR. In RT CR, AaERF1i-F (with XbaI and XhoI sites) and AaERF1i-R (with BamHI and HindIII sites) were used as the forward and reverse primers, respectively. The amplified fragment was cloned into pMD18-T simple vector and sequenced. After confirmation by sequencing, the fragments were forwardly and reversely placed on the two end sides of the GUS intron in pBluescript SK+ to construct the hp structure. Then the expression cassette was excised with SacI and KpnI from pBluescript SK+ containing the AaERF1 hp structure and ligated into the expression vector pCAMBIA2300+ to get the final hp AaERF1i-containing vector pCAMBIA2300:: p35S-hairpin AaERF1-nos. pCAMBIA2300 vector containing only nptII (neomycin phosphotransferase gene conferring resistance to kanamycin) was used as the control vector in transformation. The pCAMBIA2300:: p35S-hairpin AaERF1-nos and pCAMBIA2300+ vectors were then transferred into A. tumefaciens strain EHA105 by a conventional freezing and thawing method, and the resulting strains were used in the transformation of A. annua. The transformation of A. annua was performed following the protocol of Zhang et al. [40]. All the primers used in this study are in the Table S1.Comparative and Bioinformatic AnalysisBased on the sequence of AaERF1 (JN162091), one pair 
of primers (AaERF1-F and AaERF1-R) were designed, synthesized and used to amplify the full-length sequence of AaERF1 from A. annua. Comparative and bioinformatic analysis of AaERF1 were carried out online at the websites, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and http://cn.expasy.org. Sequence analysis was performed using DNAMAN software (Lynnon Biosoft, USA) and Vector NTI software (Invitrogen). The phylogenetic analysis of AaERF1 protein and ERF proteins from other species was carried out by alignment with CLUSTAL X (1.81) using default parameters. A phylogenetic tree was constructed by neighbor-joining method using software MEGA version 3.1 [43,44].Electrophoretic Mobility Shift AssayThe AaERF1 cDNA sequence was cloned into 26001275 the EcoRI and PstI sites of the pMAL-C2 vector to produce a MBP-AaERF1 fusion construct (New England BioLabs). T.E-specific primers (Table S1), and the SYBR ExScript RT-PCR kit (Takara, Shiga, Japan) protocol to confirm changes of gene expression. The RT-Q-PCR cycling was performed at 37uC (3 min), 95uC (4 min), 40 cycles at 95uC (15 s), 56uC (40 s), 72uC (40 s). The expression of all genes was normalized against the expression of the endogenous control gene (Actin). Values displayed are mean fold change as calculated by the 2-DDCT method. All experiments were repeated three times.Overexpression in A. thalianaThe full-length AaERF1 coding sequence was amplified with primers AaERF1-F and AaERF1-R by Platinum PrimeSTAR HS DNA polymerase (Takara, Shiga, Japan) and subcloned into pMD18-T simple vector. The pMD18-T-AaERF1 vector was digested by SacI and BamHI. The full-length ORF of AaERF1 was cloned into the BamHI and SacI sites of the pCAMBIA2300+ vector under the 35S promoter to generate pCAMBIA230035S::AaERF1::NOS. The construct was transferred into Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV3101, and then introduced into A. thaliana (ecotype Columbia) plants using the floral dip method [47]. Transgenic plants were selected on MS plates containing 50 mg/ mL kanamycin. PCR was performed to verify the transgenic status of the screened plants.RNAi in A. annuaThe 201 bp fragment of 15900046 AaERF1, corresponding to AaERF1 cDNA from nucleotides 179?78, was cloned from A. annua by RT CR. In RT CR, AaERF1i-F (with XbaI and XhoI sites) and AaERF1i-R (with BamHI and HindIII sites) were used as the forward and reverse primers, respectively. The amplified fragment was cloned into pMD18-T simple vector and sequenced. After confirmation by sequencing, the fragments were forwardly and reversely placed on the two end sides of the GUS intron in pBluescript SK+ to construct the hp structure. Then the expression cassette was excised with SacI and KpnI from pBluescript SK+ containing the AaERF1 hp structure and ligated into the expression vector pCAMBIA2300+ to get the final hp AaERF1i-containing vector pCAMBIA2300:: p35S-hairpin AaERF1-nos. pCAMBIA2300 vector containing only nptII (neomycin phosphotransferase gene conferring resistance to kanamycin) was used as the control vector in transformation. The pCAMBIA2300:: p35S-hairpin AaERF1-nos and pCAMBIA2300+ vectors were then transferred into A. tumefaciens strain EHA105 by a conventional freezing and thawing method, and the resulting strains were used in the transformation of A. annua. The transformation of A. annua was performed following the protocol of Zhang et al. [40]. All the primers used in this study are in the Table S1.Comparative and Bioinformatic AnalysisBased on the sequence of AaERF1 (JN162091), one pair of primers (AaERF1-F and AaERF1-R) were designed, synthesized and used to amplify the full-length sequence of AaERF1 from A. annua. Comparative and bioinformatic analysis of AaERF1 were carried out online at the websites, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and http://cn.expasy.org. Sequence analysis was performed using DNAMAN software (Lynnon Biosoft, USA) and Vector NTI software (Invitrogen). The phylogenetic analysis of AaERF1 protein and ERF proteins from other species was carried out by alignment with CLUSTAL X (1.81) using default parameters. A phylogenetic tree was constructed by neighbor-joining method using software MEGA version 3.1 [43,44].Electrophoretic Mobility Shift AssayThe AaERF1 cDNA sequence was cloned into 26001275 the EcoRI and PstI sites of the pMAL-C2 vector to produce a MBP-AaERF1 fusion construct (New England BioLabs). T.