Molecular Basis of the Anaerobic Response in Plants

The response of plants to flooding is complex and involves the induction of specific gene sets. A multidisciplinary approach by several research teams has led to a reasonably good understanding of the low oxygen response, and many of the genes and proteins that are involved are known. But the factors that are critical in determining tolerance or intolerance remain unknown. Microarray technology offers renewed hope to unravel the complex changes in gene expression occurring in plants upon low oxygen treatment and what mechanisms are involved in the response.