Identification of drought-responsive genes in roots of upland rice (Oryza sativa L)

Abstract

Background: Rice (Oryza sativa L.) germplasm represents an extraordinary source of genes that control traits of agronomic importance such as drought tolerance. This diversity is the basis for the development of new cultivars better adapted to water restriction conditions, in particular for upland rice, which is grown under rainfall. The analyses of subtractive cDNA libraries and differential protein expression of drought tolerant and susceptible genotypes can contribute to the understanding of the genetic control of water use efficiency in rice.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Two Olive Cultivars in Response to Nacl Stress

“…Such a strategy mainly relies on comparative transcriptome analysis [20] using microarrays. A plethora of comparisons between salt-sensitive and salt-tolerant cultivars of model and non-model plant species such as Arabidopsis [21][22][23], rice [24], tomato [25], poplar [26], potato [27] and sugarcane [28] have been reported up to now. These reports resulted in the identification of more than 30 families of transcription factors comprising DREB, CBF, MYB, bZIP and zing-finger families which are involved in abiotic stress including salinity [29,30].…”

Proteomics to identify pathogenesis-related proteins in rice roots under water deficit

“…Water deficit is the major abiotic stress that has adverse effects on growth and yield of rice. The increasing worldwide water shortage and uneven rainfall distribution limit rice production (Rabello et al 2008). It is therefore necessary to develop rice varieties with increasing drought tolerance and high yield.…”

“…Upland rice is usually grown under rain-fed, naturally well-drained soils without surface water accumulation, while lowland rice is cultivated in paddy fields (Wang et al 2007). These two ecotypes of cultivars differ not only somewhat in plant architecture, but also greatly in drought resistance (Rabello et al 2008). The possession of a deep thick root system which allows access to water deep in the soil profile is considered crucially important in determining drought resistance in upland rice.…”

“…Upland rice and lowland rice showed different mechanisms of drought resistance, and upland varieties generally had better drought tolerance (Price et al 2002). The determination of the mechanisms directly involved in drought tolerance remains a challenging task since drought is a complex trait that involves several metabolic pathways (Rabello et al 2008). The root is an important component in the sensing and signaling of environmental cues to the whole plant, but it is intrinsically difficult to study, particularly in the natural environment (Price et al 2002).…”

“…In recent years, several proteomic studies have been carried out on water stress on rice (Salekdeh et al 2002;Rabello et al 2008;Choudhary et al 2009). However, there are still no reports on the effects of water deficit on contrasting upland and lowland rice ecotypes.…”