Monitoring gene expression pattern in roots under dark adaptation and far-red light illumination using RIKEN Arabidopsis full-length cDNA microarray

Abstract

To understand an effect of far-red light on gene expression of roots, we analyzed the expression profiles of genes under dark adaptation against light-grown plants and far-red light illumination against dark-adapted plants using the RIKEN Arabidopsis full-length cDNA microarray (containing ca. 7000 independent, full-length cDNA groups). In roots of Arabidopsis thaliana (Ler ecotype), transcripts of 42 genes increased after dark adaptation, more than threefold compared with the control genes. Among them, one was UBQ3 and seven were homologous to dark-inducible genes reported previously. Far-red light-illumination for 4 h increased transcripts of 17 genes more than twice, but not more than threefold. RNA gel blot analysis on some of them showed similar expression profiles to those indicated by cDNA microarray analysis, suggesting that there are very few genes highly induced by far-red light in dark-adapted roots.