Comprehensive analysis of circadian periodic pattern in plant transcriptome

BACKGROUND: Circadian rhythm is a crucial factor in orchestration of plant physiology, keeping it in synchrony with the daylight cycle. Previous studies have reported that up to 16% of plant transcriptome are circadially expressed. RESULTS: Our studies of mammalian gene expression revealed circadian baseline oscillation in nearly 100% of genes. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of periodicity in two independent data sets. Application of the advanced algorithms and analytic approached already tested on animal data reveals oscillation in almost every gene of Arabidopsis thaliana. CONCLUSION: This study indicates an even more pervasive role of oscillation in molecular physiology of plants than previously believed. Earlier studies have dramatically underestimated the prevalence of circadian oscillation in plant gene expression.