Droughtisoneofthemajorabioticstresseswhichadverselyaffectcropplantslimitinggrowthandyieldpotential.Structuralandfunctionalcharacterizationofdroughtstress-inducedgeneshascontributedtoabetterunderstandingofhowplantsrespondandadapttothedroughtstress.Inthepresentstudy,differentialdisplaytechniquewasemployedtostudythegeneexpressionofriceplantsatthereproductivestagethatweresubjectedtodroughtstressbywithholdingwater,Pseudomonasfluorescensstrain(Pf1)treatedplantssubjectedfordroughtstressbywithholdingwaterandcontrol(well-watered).DifferentiallyexpressedcDNAsofsixgenes(COX1,PKDP,bZIP1,AP2-EREBP,Hsp20andCOC1)wereidentified,clonedandsequenced.Real-timeqPCRanalysisshowedthatallthesixgeneswereupregulatedindrought-stressedplantstreatedwithPf1.ThisrevealedthattheremarkableinfluenceofPf1colonizationleadstodroughttoleranceatthereproductivestage.TheseresultsshowedthathighlevelsofgeneexpressioninplantslackingadequatewatercanberemarkablyinfluencedbyPf1colonization,whichmightbeakeyelementforinducedsystemictolerancebymicrobes.
