Real-time quantitative PCR analysis of tomato bZIP genes under biotic stress and plant hormone treatments

We used Bio-Rad laboratories, lnc. PCR assay panel to analyze expression levels of bZIP genes in various biotci stress and plant hormone treatments. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cv. Suhong 2003 were reared in growth chambers at 24 ± 1 °C with a photoperiod of 14 h light/10 h dark and light intensity of 200 μE m2 s-1. For analysis of gene expression, 4-week-old tomato plants were treated by foliar spraying with 100 μM methyl jasmonate (MeJA), 100 μM 1-amino cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), 100 μM SA or 0.1% ethanol as a control and samples were collected at indicated time points after treatment. For analysis of gene expression in response to pathogen infection, whole plant inoculation assays for B. cinerea (spore density of 1×10 5 spores/mL) and vacuum infiltrated inoculation assays for Pst DC3000 along with corresponding mock inoculation controls were performed. The experiment was designed to gain insight into the temporal and spatial transcription patterns of 59 bZIP genes in tomato.The experiment was designed to examine the transcription patterns of 59 bZIP genes in tomato in response to two different biotic stresses (Botrytis cinerea, Pst DC3000) and three (SA, MeJA and ACC) plant hormone treatments.