Analysis of Gene Expression Profile of Limonium bicolor under NaHCO3 Stress Using cDNA Microarray

Limonium bicolor, a halophytic species of flowering plant, thrives in saline-alkali soil, demonstrating that it has developed an efficient saline-alkali resistance system and has potential utility as a source of genetic determinants for saline-alkali tolerance. In this study, complementary DNA microarrays containing 1,240 clones of L. bicolor were constructed to have a better view of transcript expression in L. bicolor during saline-alkali (NaHCO3)-induced stress. We obtained transcript profiles of L. bicolor in response to NaHCO3 for 6, 24, and 48 h. A total of 149 transcripts were differentially regulated at least once under the conditions studied. Among these, at least six different patterns of transcript regulation could be distinguished. There were 111, 45, and 51 transcripts that were differentially regulated by NaHCO3 stress for 6, 24, and 48 h, respectively. Of these, nearly 35% were putative novel or functionally unknown genes, and the remainders were involved in a variety of functional areas such as defense, transport, metabolism, and transcription regulation. The microarray analysis demonstrated the complexity of, and differences in, gene expression patterns resulting from different NaHCO3 stress times. This study provides informative preliminary data and a starting point for more in-depth analyses of saline-alkali tolerance in L. bicolor.