ABFs, a Family of ABA-responsive Element Binding Factors Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a crucial role in environmental stress responses in higher plants during vegetative growth. One of the ABA-mediated responses is the induction of a large number of genes, which is mediated by cis-regulatory elements known as abscisic acid-responsive elements (ABREs). Although several ABRE binding transcription factors have been identified, they are not specifically from vegetative tissues under induced conditions. This study reports a family of ABRE binding factors isolated from young Arabidopsis plants under stress conditions. These factors, named ABFs, belong to a distinct subfamily of bZIP proteins. Binding site selection assays showed that ABFs preferentially bind to the strong ABRE, CACGTGGC. ABFs can transactivate an ABRE-containing reporter gene in yeast. Expression of ABFs is induced by ABA and various stress treatments, with different induction patterns among the factors. This indicates that ABFs are likely involved in different ABA-mediated stress signaling pathways. ABFs are inducible by ABA and various environmental stresses, and their expression patterns suggest they function in different stress-responsive pathways. ABFs can transactivate an ABRE-containing reporter gene in yeast, indicating their potential to activate ABA/stress-responsive genes. The study highlights the importance of ABFs in ABA-mediated stress responses and their potential role in various stress-responsive pathways in plants.ABFs, a Family of ABA-responsive Element Binding Factors Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a crucial role in environmental stress responses in higher plants during vegetative growth. One of the ABA-mediated responses is the induction of a large number of genes, which is mediated by cis-regulatory elements known as abscisic acid-responsive elements (ABREs). Although several ABRE binding transcription factors have been identified, they are not specifically from vegetative tissues under induced conditions. This study reports a family of ABRE binding factors isolated from young Arabidopsis plants under stress conditions. These factors, named ABFs, belong to a distinct subfamily of bZIP proteins. Binding site selection assays showed that ABFs preferentially bind to the strong ABRE, CACGTGGC. ABFs can transactivate an ABRE-containing reporter gene in yeast. Expression of ABFs is induced by ABA and various stress treatments, with different induction patterns among the factors. This indicates that ABFs are likely involved in different ABA-mediated stress signaling pathways. ABFs are inducible by ABA and various environmental stresses, and their expression patterns suggest they function in different stress-responsive pathways. ABFs can transactivate an ABRE-containing reporter gene in yeast, indicating their potential to activate ABA/stress-responsive genes. The study highlights the importance of ABFs in ABA-mediated stress responses and their potential role in various stress-responsive pathways in plants.