Two cDNA clones, designated ERD11 and ERD13, isolated from a cDNA library from Arabidopsis thaliana L. plants dehydrated for 1 h were sequenced and characterized. These clones encoded polypeptides that were homologous to glutathione S-transferases of tobacco and maize. Genomic Southern hybridization suggested that there are a few additional genes showing high similarity to the ERD11 gene in the Arabidopsis genome. The expression of the genes for ERD11 and ERD13 was induced by dehydration, but was not affected by the application of four plant growth regulators, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid 6-benzylaminopurine, abscisic acid, or gibberellic acid.