cDNA-AFLP analysis of salicylic acid- and calcium chloride-induced transcript derived fragments under drought in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).

Drought seriously threatens tomato production worldwide. Despite much research on exogenous salicylic acid (SA) and Ca²⁺ improving plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, the molecular mechanisms of exogenous SA- and Ca²⁺-mediated drought resistance response in tomato remain unclear. In this study, we analyzed SA- and Ca²⁺ -induced differentially expressed transcripts under drought in tomato plants using cDNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism (cDNA-AFLP). In total, 34 transcript derived fragments (TDFs) were differentially expressed. The functions identified through NCBI BLAST alignment mainly involved signal transduction, amino acid metabolism, transcription factors, transfer transport and stress response. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction results of 12 TDFs associated with drought response were consistent with the patterns of changes observed with cDNA-AFLP analysis. These differentially expressed transcripts may be used for functional verification, transgenic research and breeding of drought-resistant tomato varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]