Altered Expression of Transcription Factor Genes in Rice Flag Leaf under Low Nitrogen Stress

The response of transcription factor genes to low nitrogen stress was studied to provide molecular basis for improving the absorption and utilization efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer in rice. The agilent rice genome arrays were used to study the varied expression of transcription factor genes in two rice varieties (SN 196 and Toyonishhiki) with different chlorophyll contents under low nitrogen stress. The results showed that a total of 53 transcription factor genes (35 down-regulated and 18 up-regulated genes at the transcription level) in flag leaves of super-green rice SN196 and 27 transcription factor genes (21 down-regulated and 6 up-regulated genes at the transcription level) in flag leaves of Toyonishiki were affected by low nitrogen stress. Among those nitrogen-responsive genes, 48 transcription factor genes in SN196 and 22 in Toyonishiki were variety-specific. There were overlapped transcription factor genes responded to low nitrogen stress between SN196 and Toyonishiki, with 1 up-regulated and 4 down-regulated at the transcription level. Distributions of low nitrogen responsive genes on chromosomes were different in two rice varieties.