Classification of Genes Differentially Expressed during Water-deficit Stress in Arabidopsis thaliana: an Analysis using Microarray and Differential Expression Data

Many changes in gene expression occur in response to water-deficitstress. A challenge is to determine which changes support plantadaptation to conditions of reduced soil water content and whichoccur in response to lesions in metabolic and cellular functions.Microarray methods are being employed to catalogue all of thechanges in gene expression that occur in response to specificwater-deficit conditions. Although these methods do not measurethe amount or activities of specific proteins that functionin the water-deficit response, they do target specific biochemicaland cellular events that should be detailed in further work.Potential functions of approx. 130 genes of Arabidopsis thalianathat have been shown to be up-regulated are tabulated here.These point to signalling events, detoxification and other functionsinvolved in the cellular response to water-deficit stress. Asmicroarray techniques are refined, plant stress biologists willbe able to characterize changes in gene expression within thewhole genome in specific organs and tissues subjected to differentlevels of water-deficit stress.