Apetala 2 (AP2) is a gene coding for a member of a large family of transcription factors, the AP2/EREBP family. In Arabidopsis thaliana which plays a role in the ABC model of flower development. It was originally thought that this family of proteins was plant-specific, however recent studies have shown that apicomplexans, including the causative agent of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum encode a related set of transcription factors, called the ApiAP2 family.
In the A. thaliana transcription factor RAV1 the N-terminal AP2 domain binds 5'-CAACA-3' sequence, while the C-terminal highly conserved B3 domain binds 5'-CACCTG-3' sequence.