Abstract
In suspension cultured rice cells, production of diterpenoid phytoalexins is induced by treatment with a chitin elicitor. Until now, we have identified all the diterpene cyclase genes involved in phytoalexin biosynthesis to show the mRNA levels of these genes peaked at 6-8 h after the start of elicitor treatment. Phytoalexin production is generally a late response to elicitor. To search biosynrthetic enzyme genes and transcriptional factor genes involved in phytoalexin production, we performed a 24-h time course analysis of transcription levels of elicitor-responsive genes in the rice cells using maicroarrays. Cluster analysis of gene expression profiles suggested that many enzyme and transcriptional factor genes that are expected to be involved in phytoalexin biosynthesis and/or the other defense responses are classified into a single cluster containing diterpene cyclase genes involved in biosynthesis of phytoalexins.
