Gene expression assay of ScWRKY3. (A) Tissue-specific expression analysis of ScWRKY3 in different 10-month-old ROC22 tissues by qRT-PCR. The tissues (root, bud, leaf, stem pith, and stem epidermis) are represented by R, B, L, SP, and SE, respectively; (B) Gene expression patterns of ScWRKY3 in 4-month-old ROC22 plantlets under abiotic stress. NaCl, sodium chloride (simulating salt stress) (250 mM); PEG, polyethylene glycol (simulating drought treatment) (25.0%); (C) Gene expression patterns of ScWRKY3 in 4-month-old ROC22 plantlets under plant hormone stress. SA, salicylic acid (5 mM); MeJA, methyl jasmonate (25 μM); ABA, abscisic acid (100 μM); (D) Gene expression patterns of the ScWRKY3 gene after infection with smut pathogen. Yacheng05-179 is a smut-resistant Saccharum hybrid cultivar, and ROC22 is a smut-susceptible Saccharum hybrid cultivar. Data are normalized to the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) expression level. All data points are means ± standard error (n = 3). Bars superscripted by different lowercase letters indicate significant differences, as determined by Duncan’s new multiple range test (p-value < 0.05).