Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Protection and Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #129856
Title: IDENTIFICATION OF PUTATIVE GENES RELATING TO DROUGHT STRESS IN MAIZE BY DIFFERENTIAL DISPLAY OF MRNA.

Author
item CAO, Y - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item Guo, Baozhu
item LEE, R - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item Lynch, Robert

Submitted to: Aflatoxin Elimination Workshop Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2001
Publication Date: 1/1/2002
Citation: Cao, Y.G., Guo, B., Lee, R.E., Lynch, R.E. 2002. Identification of putative genes relating to drought stress in maize by differential display of MRNA [abstract]. Mycopathologia. 155:90.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Plants respond to many types of environmental stresses. Among these, drought stress is the most serious problem that limits plant growth and crop production in agriculture. When plants are stressed by environmental factors, a series of physiological and biochemical changes occur based on gene expression. Drought stress and Aspergillus infection also exacerbate aflatoxin contamination in corn. Differential display technology of mRNA is a powerful tool for identifying and cloning differentially expressed genes. Our research goal is to identify and clone the genes regulated by drought stress using this technique, and determine the relationship between drought tolerance in corn and aflatoxin formation. In order to clone the genes that relate to drought stress in maize, the differential display RT-PCR technique has been used by generating a differential expression profile between plants with drought stress vs without drought stress. Leaf tissues were collected at 0, 2 and 4 days after induction of drought stress. Total RNA was extracted and subjected to differential display using specific and random primers. The differentially expressed fragments, which were up- or down-regulated by drought stress, were excised from the gels, re-amplified by PCR, and verified by reverse Northern blot. Sixty-eight cDNA fragments were obtained. Fourteen cDNA fragments were sequenced and analyzed using BLAST in the GenBank. Among these, 2 cDNA fragments have homology with known sequences. Further studies are needed to characterize these cloned fragments in relationship with drought tolerance and aflatoxin formation.