Gene Expression Analysis to Investigate the Response of Salicylic Acid in Plant Immunity

Salicylic acid (SA) functions as a key signaling molecule in plant defense, orchestrating responses to diverse biotic and abiotic stresses. A clear understanding of SA-mediated immunity requires systematic analysis of SA-responsive transcriptional programs at both targeted and genome-wide levels. This chapter describes methodological strategies for examining SA-responsive gene expression through quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as well as bulk transcriptome profiling using the Bio-Rad SEQuoia Complete Stranded RNA Kit. The workflow covers experimental design, sample preparation, data acquisition, and result interpretation within the framework of plant immune responses. Integrating targeted qPCR assays with SEQuoia-enabled transcriptome analysis enables robust characterization of regulatory networks underlying SA-induced immunity and supports reproducible comparisons across experiments. This combined approach provides insights into the complexity of plant defense signaling and its transcriptional control.