<ol>
<li>First we need to prepare the 2ml screw-cap vials for extraction: Add 400ul extraction buffer (1-propanol:H2O:concentrated HCl 2:1:0.002 vol/vol/vol) and 10 &mu;l of the respective internal standard (10ng/&mu;l) to a vial. Freeze in liquid nitrogen and then add the ceramic beads.</li>
<li>Add the plant material (between 50 and 200mg) while the vials are still positioned in the liquid nitrogen. Note that the weight of the added plant material has to be estimated before further processing to allow later for exact quantification, which is based on the fresh weight. </li>
<li>Make sure that all liquid nitrogen is evaporated before tightly closing the vial with a cap. Note that the cap needs to have a rubber seal to prevent spills of solvents and thus, extracted compounds during the homogenization. </li>
<li>Homogenize the tissue in a FastPrep or Precellys bead grinder homogenizer at a speed of 6000 (for Precellys) for 30 sec. </li>
<li>Remove vials from homogenizer individually, carefully open the cap and add 1ml of dichloromethane to each sample. Close vials again tightly and homogenize again for 10-15sec at 6000 (Precellys).</li>
<li>Transfer vials to a tabletop centrifuge and separate the organic phase from the aqueous phase at 10.000xg for 60sec.</li>
<li>After phase separation transfer the lower green layer (organic phase, contains the hormones and the internal standards) from individual vials to a clean 4ml glass vial. Avoid the transfer of water (upper phase). Alternatively, ethyl acetate can be used instead of dichloromethane. In that case the ethyacetate phase will be the upper layer (green) and is now easier to remove and transferred to a fresh 4ml glass vial. As before, avoid the transfer of water.</li>
<li>Blow off the solvent with air through a manifold for about 10-25 min (depends on sample); check with a single airflow tip if samples are dry (carefully). Do not overdry samples, for this might cause losses of compounds.</li>
<li>Once the samples are dried we can start the methylation of the carboxylic acid-containing compounds in our samples. First, 100 &mu;l of a diethyether/methanol mixture (9:1 vol/vol) are added to each vial followed by 4&mu;l of a 2M trimethylsilyldiazomethane solution (in hexane, Sigma Aldrich). Vials are immediately closed with an open-top screw cap fitted with a Teflon-lined silicone septum. Shake gently and incubate at RT for 25 to 30min. </li>
<li>After finishing step 9, turn on a heating block and set at the desired collection temperature. The volatility of the methylated compounds depends on their size, but also on other, more polar groups like =O, -OH, and -NH. For jasmonic acid and salicylic acid methyl esters a collection temperatures of around 80&deg;C are sufficient, whereas for example other compounds like C18 fatty acids, jasmonic acid-amino acid conjugates, coronatine, and 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid methyl ester require temperature between 180-200&deg;C to effectively volatilize. </li>
<li>After a 30min incubation the methylation reaction needs to be stopped to avoid unwanted secondary reaction. This is done by adding 4 &mu;l of a 2M acetic acid-solution (in hexane) to each vial. After closing the vials with caps and a short vortexing, the samples are allowed to incubate for another 30min.</li>
<li>The filters used for this vapor phase extraction are handmade and in the presented form not commercially available. They consist of an outer Teflon tube (about 7-8cm long), into which from one side a well-fitting glass tube of about 4cm length is inserted. On the other side of the Teflon tube a stainless steel mesh disc is pushed inside the tube until it reaches the inner glass tube and onto that about 20-30mg of adsorbent (either SuperQ 80/100 (discontinued) or HayeSep&reg; Q80/100) are added. Another stainless steel mesh disc is inserted and finally a glass tip is pushes into the Teflon tube, thereby carefully pressing the stainless steel mesh disc on the absorbent. A detailed picture a filter is shown in figure 1. <img src="/files/ftp_upload/1127/1127fig1.jpg" alt="Figure 1" /> Figure 1.</li>
<li>During the incubation time of step 11, the filters for the collection of the methylated and thus, volatile plant hormones, have to be washed using first 200ul of methanol, and then 2 washes with 200ul dichloromethane each. Solvent remaining in the filters is then blown off by air. The filters can now be used for the trapping of volatile hormones through vapor phase extraction. </li>
<li>After 30min of incubation the rubber septa of the 4ml vial caps are cut with a scalpel. To collect the plant hormones by vapor phase extraction the cleaned filters are connected to individual vacuum lines at a flow rate of about 800ml/min. The filters are then inserted into the vial through the cut septa. A small pipet tip is also inserted to act as an air inlet. During this initial part of the procedure the vials with the inserted filters have to be held in an upright position to avoid any of the liquid inside the vial to get in contact with the filter tip, which would contaminate the filter and subsequently also the GC/MS. The vials are then held by hand until all the liquid is evaporated through the filter. Then the vials with the attached filters are placed on the heating block and heat-evaporated compounds collected for 3min. The principle components of the system as well as the setup are depicted in figure 1. After this final vapor phase extraction step the vials with the filters still attached are placed on a rack and allowed to cool down.</li>
<li>When the filters have reached room temperature again they are eluted with 150ml of dichloromethane into a 1.5 ml GC-vial fitted with an insert. Alter blowing out the remaining solvent from the filter the vials are capped and analyzed by GC/MS. </li>
</ol>
A gas chromatograph equipped with a split/splitless injector (splitless mode 250&deg;C, injection volume 1&mu;) interfaced to a mass spectrometer operated in chemical ionization mode (CI) should be used for the analysis). Compounds are separated on HP-1MS column (30m x 0.25mm x 025&mu;m) held at 40&deg;C for 1min after injection, and then temperature programmed at 15&deg;C/min to 250&deg;C (for 10min), with helium as the carrier gas (constant flow 0.7ml/min). For the MS-based analysis both, a quadropole (e.g. Agilent HP5973) and an ion trap-based (e.g. Varian Saturn 2200) mass spectrometer can be used. As a CI gas either isobutane (comes in gas tanks) or methanol (vapors from a liquid reservoir are used) can be use, however, in each case the fragments of the ionization reaction should be checked before the selected ion count (SIC) programs are created. We have used the following program for a Varian GC 3900/Saturn MS 2200 system and methanol as the CI reagent: 5.00-11.30min ions (M+1)+ 153-158 (methyl salicylate 153, methyl 2H5-salicylate); 11.30-13.30min ions (M+1)+ 207-228 (methyl jasmonate 207 and 225, methyl dihydrojasmonate 209 and 227); 13.30-16.30min ions (M+1)+ 237-300 (methyl abscisic acid 261, methyl 2H6-abscisic acid 267 (abscisic acid produces predominantly [M-H2O+1]+ ions). All compounds should be identified by comparison with authentic commercially available standards. Quantification of JA, SA, and ABA is done by correlating the peak area (extracted ions) with the peak area (extracted ions) of the respective internal standard and is also based on the fresh weight of the plant material used.

<ol>
	<li>Schmelz, E. A., Engelberth, J., Tumlinson, J. H., Alborn, H. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+use+of+vapor+phase+extraction+in+metabolic+profiling+of+phytohormones+and+other+metabolites.">The use of vapor phase extraction in metabolic profiling of phytohormones and other metabolites.</a> Plant Journal. 39, 790-808 (2004).</li><li>Engelberth, J., Alborn, H. T., Schmelz, E. A., Tumlinson, J. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Airborne+signals+prime+plants+against+insect+herbivore+attack.">Airborne signals prime plants against insect herbivore attack.</a> PNAS. 101, 1781-1785 (2004).</li><li>Schmelz, E. A., Engelberth, J., Alborn, H. T., O&amp;acute, D. o. n. n. e. l., Sammons, P., Toshima, M., H, J. H. T. u. m. l. i. n. s. o. n. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Simultaneous+analysis+of+phytohormones,+phytotoxins,+and+volatile+organic+compounds+in+plants.">Simultaneous analysis of phytohormones, phytotoxins, and volatile organic compounds in plants.</a> PNAS. 100, 10552-10557 (2003).</li><li>Engelberth, J., Schmelz, E. A., Alborn, H., Cardoza, Y. J., Huang, J., Tumlinson, J. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Simultaneous+Quantification+of+Jasmonic+acid+and+Salicylic+acid+by+Vapor+Phase+Extraction+and+Gas+Chromatography+-+Chemical+Ionization-Mass+Spectrometry.">Simultaneous Quantification of Jasmonic acid and Salicylic acid by Vapor Phase Extraction and Gas Chromatography - Chemical Ionization-Mass Spectrometry.</a> Analytical Biochemistry. 312, 242-250 (2003).</li></ol>

The method presented here has been proven to work reliably for a wide array of plant signaling compounds provided that the size and the chemical nature of the compound does not prevent it from being extracted, methylated, and vaporized. Also, the methylation procedure as it is described herein is not the only way of derivatization. Silyllation and acetylation are alternative methods and protocols can be easily found online.
If the mass spectrometer is not capable of single ion monitoring the m...

monitoring plant hormones during stress responses

Plant hormones and related signaling compounds play an important role in the regulation of plant responses to various environmental stimuli and stresses. Among the most severe stresses are insect herbivory, pathogen infection, and drought stress. For each of these stresses a specific set of hormones and/or combinations thereof are known to fine-tune the responses, thereby ensuring the plant's survival. The major hormones involved in the regulation of these responses are jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), and abscisic acid (ABA). To better understand the role of individual hormones as well as their potential interaction during these responses it is necessary to monitor changes in their abundance in a temporal as well as in a spatial fashion. For the easy, sensitive, and reproducible quantification of these and other signaling compounds we developed a method based on vapor phase extraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis (1, 2, 3, 4). After extracting these compounds from the plant tissue by acidic aqueous 1-propanol mixed with dichloromethane the carboxylic acid-containing compounds are methylated, volatilized under heat, and collected on a polymeric absorbent. After elution into a sample vial the analytes are separated by gas chromatography and detected by chemical ionization mass spectrometry. The use of appropriate internal standards then allows for the simple quantification by relating the peak areas of analyte and internal standard.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Monitoring Plant Hormones During Stress Responses at JoVE.com

Monitoring Plant Hormones During Stress Responses

A simple method is provided that allows for the rapid extraction and analysis of multiple plant hormones from small tissue samples. The procedure uses vapor phase extraction as the solemn purification step. Samples are analyzed by GC/MS with chemical ionization that produces mainly (M+1)+ ions.

Plant hormones and related signaling compounds play an important role in the regulation of plant responses to various environmental stimuli and stresses. ...

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16.5K Views.  University of Texas. A simple method is provided that allows for the rapid extraction and analysis of multiple plant hormones from small tissue samples. The procedure uses vapor phase extraction as the solemn purification step. Samples are analyzed by GC/MS with chemical ionization that produces mainly (M+1)+ ions.

Video: Monitoring Plant Hormones During Stress Responses

Investigating Tissue- and Organ-specific Phytochrome Responses using FACS-assisted Cell-type Specific Expression Profiling in Arabidopsis thaliana

Light mediates an array of developmental and adaptive processes throughout the life cycle of a plant. Plants utilize light-absorbing molecules called photoreceptors to sense and adapt to light. The red/far-red light-absorbing phytochrome photoreceptors have been studied extensively. Phytochromes exist as a family of proteins with distinct and overlapping functions in all higher plant systems in which they have been studied1. Phytochrome-mediated light responses, which range from seed germination through flowering and senescence, are often localized to specific plant tissues or organs2. Despite the discovery and elucidation of individual and redundant phytochrome functions through mutational analyses, conclusive reports on distinct sites of photoperception and the molecular mechanisms of localized pools of phytochromes that mediate spatial-specific phytochrome responses are limited. We designed experiments based on the hypotheses that specific sites of phytochrome photoperception regulate tissue- and organ-specific aspects of photomorphogenesis, and that localized phytochrome pools engage distinct subsets of downstream target genes in cell-to-cell signaling. We developed a biochemical approach to selectively reduce functional phytochromes in an organ- or tissue-specific manner within transgenic plants. Our studies are based on a bipartite enhancer-trap approach that results in transactivation of the expression of a gene under control of the Upstream Activation Sequence (UAS) element by the transcriptional activator GAL43. The biliverdin reductase (BVR) gene under the control of the UAS is silently maintained in the absence of GAL4 transactivation in the UAS-BVR parent4. Genetic crosses between a UAS-BVR transgenic line and a GAL4-GFP enhancer trap line result in specific expression of the BVR gene in cells marked by GFP expression4. BVR accumulation in Arabidopsis plants results in phytochrome chromophore deficiency in planta5-7. Thus, transgenic plants that we have produced exhibit GAL4-dependent activation of the BVR gene, resulting in the biochemical inactivation of phytochrome, as well as GAL4-dependent GFP expression. Photobiological and molecular genetic analyses of BVR transgenic lines are yielding insight into tissue- and organ-specific phytochrome-mediated responses that have been associated with corresponding sites of photoperception4, 7, 8. Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) of GFP-positive, enhancer-trap-induced BVR-expressing plant protoplasts coupled with cell-type-specific gene expression profiling through microarray analysis is being used to identify putative downstream target genes involved in mediating spatial-specific phytochrome responses. This research is expanding our understanding of sites of light perception, the mechanisms through which various tissues or organs cooperate in light-regulated plant growth and development, and advancing the molecular dissection of complex phytochrome-mediated cell-to-cell signaling cascades.

Investigating Tissue- and Organ-specific Phytochrome Responses using FACS-assisted Cell-type Specific Expression Profiling in Arabidopsis thaliana

The molecular basis of spatial-specific phytochrome responses is being investigated using transgenic plants that exhibit tissue- and organ-specific phytochrome deficiencies. The isolation of specific cells exhibiting induced phytochrome chromophore depletion by Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting followed by microarray analyses is being utilized to identify genes involved in spatial-specific phytochrome responses.

Light mediates an array of developmental and adaptive processes throughout the life cycle of a plant. Plants utilize light-absorbing molecules called ...

Bioassays for Monitoring Insecticide Resistance

Pest resistance to pesticides is an increasing problem because pesticides are an integral part of high-yielding production agriculture. When few products are labeled for an individual pest within a particular crop system, chemical control options are limited. Therefore, the same product(s) are used repeatedly and continual selection pressure is placed on the target pest. There are both financial and environmental costs associated with the development of resistant populations. The cost of pesticide resistance has been estimated at approximately $ 1.5 billion annually in the United States. This paper will describe protocols, currently used to monitor arthropod (specifically insects) populations for the development of resistance. The adult vial test is used to measure the toxicity to contact insecticides and a modification of this test is used for plant-systemic insecticides. In these bioassays, insects are exposed to technical grade insecticide and responses (mortality) recorded at a specific post-exposure interval. The mortality data are subjected to Log Dose probit analysis to generate estimates of a lethal concentration that provides mortality to 50% (LC50) of the target populations and a series of confidence limits (CL's) as estimates of data variability. When these data are collected for a range of insecticide-susceptible populations, the LC50 can be used as baseline data for future monitoring purposes. After populations have been exposed to products, the results can be compared to a previously determined LC50 using the same methodology.

This manuscript demonstrates and discusses techniques used to survey pesticide susceptibility and detect resistance to contact and systemic pesticides in arthropod pests.

Pest resistance to pesticides is an increasing problem because pesticides are an integral part of high-yielding production agriculture. When few products ...

Monitoring Dynamic Changes In Mitochondrial Calcium Levels During Apoptosis Using A Genetically Encoded Calcium Sensor

Dynamic changes in intracellular calcium concentration in response to various stimuli regulates many cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis1. During apoptosis, calcium accumulation in mitochondria promotes the release of pro-apoptotic factors from the mitochondria into the cytosol2. It is therefore of interest to directly measure mitochondrial calcium in living cells in situ during apoptosis. High-resolution fluorescent imaging of cells loaded with dual-excitation ratiometric and non-ratiometric synthetic calcium indicator dyes has been proven to be a reliable and versatile tool to study various aspects of intracellular calcium signaling. Measuring cytosolic calcium fluxes using these techniques is relatively straightforward. However, measuring intramitochondrial calcium levels in intact cells using synthetic calcium indicators such as rhod-2 and rhod-FF is more challenging. Synthetic indicators targeted to mitochondria have blunted responses to repetitive increases in mitochondrial calcium, and disrupt mitochondrial morphology3. Additionally, synthetic indicators tend to leak out of mitochondria over several hours which makes them unsuitable for long-term experiments. Thus, genetically encoded calcium indicators based upon green fluorescent protein (GFP)4 or aequorin5 targeted to mitochondria have greatly facilitated measurement of mitochondrial calcium dynamics. Here, we describe a simple method for real-time measurement of mitochondrial calcium fluxes in response to different stimuli. The method is based on fluorescence microscopy of 'ratiometric-pericam' which is selectively targeted to mitochondria. Ratiometric pericam is a calcium indicator based on a fusion of circularly permuted yellow fluorescent protein and calmodulin4. Binding of calcium to ratiometric pericam causes a shift of its excitation peak from 415 nm to 494 nm, while the emission spectrum, which peaks around 515 nm, remains unchanged. Ratiometric pericam binds a single calcium ion with a dissociation constant in vitro of ~1.7 &mu;M4. These properties of ratiometric pericam allow the quantification of rapid and long-term changes in mitochondrial calcium concentration. Furthermore, we describe adaptation of this methodology to a standard wide-field calcium imaging microscope with commonly available filter sets. Using two distinct agonists, the purinergic agonist ATP and apoptosis-inducing drug staurosporine, we demonstrate that this method is appropriate for monitoring changes in mitochondrial calcium concentration with a temporal resolution of seconds to hours. Furthermore, we also demonstrate that ratiometric pericam is also useful for measuring mitochondrial fission/fragmentation during apoptosis. Thus, ratiometric pericam is particularly well suited for continuous long-term measurement of mitochondrial calcium dynamics during apoptosis.

This protocol describes a method for real-time measurement of mitochondrial calcium fluxes by fluorescent imaging. The method takes advantage of a circularly permutated YFP-based dual-excitation ratiometric calcium sensor (ratiometric pericam-mt) selectively expressed in mitochondria.

Dynamic changes in intracellular calcium concentration in response to various stimuli regulates many cellular processes such as proliferation, ...

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

The quantity and quality of detritus entering the soil determines the rate of decomposition by microbial communities as well as recycle rates of nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) sequestration1,2. Plant litter comprises the majority of detritus3, and so it is assumed that decomposition is only marginally influenced by biomass inputs from animals such as herbivores and carnivores4,5. However, carnivores may influence microbial decomposition of plant litter via a chain of interactions in which predation risk alters the physiology of their herbivore prey that in turn alters soil microbial functioning when the herbivore carcasses are decomposed6. A physiological stress response by herbivores to the risk of predation can change the C:N elemental composition of herbivore biomass7,8,9 because stress from predation risk increases herbivore basal energy demands that in nutrient-limited systems forces herbivores to shift their consumption from N-rich resources to support growth and reproduction to C-rich carbohydrate resources to support heightened metabolism6. Herbivores have limited ability to store excess nutrients, so stressed herbivores excrete N as they increase carbohydrate-C consumption7. Ultimately, prey stressed by predation risk increase their body C:N ratio7,10, making them poorer quality resources for the soil microbial pool likely due to lower availability of labile N for microbial enzyme production6. Thus, decomposition of carcasses of stressed herbivores has a priming effect on the functioning of microbial communities that decreases subsequent ability to of microbes to decompose plant litter6,10,11.
We present the methodology to evaluate linkages between predation risk and litter decomposition by soil microbes. We describe how to: induce stress in herbivores from predation risk; measure those stress responses, and measure the consequences on microbial decomposition. We use insights from a model grassland ecosystem comprising the hunting spider predator (Pisuarina mira), a dominant grasshopper herbivore (Melanoplus femurrubrum),and a variety of grass and forb plants9.

We present methods to evaluate how predation risk can alter the chemical quality of herbivore prey by inducing dietary changes to meet demands of heightened stress, and how the decomposition of carcasses from these stressed herbivores slows subsequent plant litter decomposition by soil microbes.

The quantity and quality of detritus entering the soil  determines the rate of decomposition by microbial communities as well as  recycle rates of ...

Analysis of Translation Initiation During Stress Conditions by Polysome Profiling

Precise control of mRNA translation is fundamental for eukaryotic cell homeostasis, particularly in response to physiological and pathological stress. Alterations of this program can lead to the growth of damaged cells, a hallmark of cancer development, or to premature cell death such as seen in neurodegenerative diseases. Much of what is known concerning the molecular basis for translational control has been obtained from polysome analysis using a density gradient fractionation system. This technique relies on ultracentrifugation of cytoplasmic extracts on a linear sucrose gradient. Once the spin is completed, the system allows fractionation and quantification of centrifuged zones corresponding to different translating ribosomes populations, thus resulting in a polysome profile. Changes in the polysome profile are indicative of changes or defects in translation initiation that occur in response to various types of stress. This technique also allows to assess the role of specific proteins on translation initiation, and to measure translational activity of specific mRNAs. Here we describe our protocol to perform polysome profiles in order to assess translation initiation of eukaryotic cells and tissues under either normal or stress growth conditions.

Here, we describe a method to analyze changes in the initiation of mRNA translation of eukaryotic cells in response to stress conditions. This method is based on the velocity separation on sucrose gradients of translating ribosomes from non-translating ribosomes.

Precise control of mRNA translation is fundamental for eukaryotic cell homeostasis, particularly in response to physiological and pathological stress. ...

Measuring Spatial and Temporal Ca2+ Signals in Arabidopsis Plants

Developmental and environmental cues induce Ca2+ fluctuations in plant cells. Stimulus-specific spatial-temporal Ca2+ patterns are sensed by cellular Ca2+ binding proteins that initiate Ca2+ signaling cascades. However, we still know little about how stimulus specific Ca2+ signals are generated. The specificity of a Ca2+ signal may be attributed to the sophisticated regulation of the activities of Ca2+ channels and/or transporters in response to a given stimulus. To identify these cellular components and understand their functions, it is crucial to use systems that allow a sensitive and robust recording of Ca2+ signals at both the tissue and cellular levels. Genetically encoded Ca2+ indicators that are targeted to different cellular compartments have provided a platform for live cell confocal imaging of cellular Ca2+ signals. Here we describe instructions for the use of two Ca2+ detection systems: aequorin based FAS (film adhesive seedlings) luminescence Ca2+ imaging and case12 based live cell confocal fluorescence Ca2+ imaging. Luminescence imaging using the FAS system provides a simple, robust and sensitive detection of spatial and temporal Ca2+ signals at the tissue level, while live cell confocal imaging using Case12 provides simultaneous detection of cytosolic and nuclear Ca2+ signals at a high resolution.

Measuring Spatial and Temporal Ca2+ Signals in Arabidopsis Plants

Ca2+ signaling regulates diverse biological processes in plants. Here we present approaches for monitoring abiotic stress induced spatial and temporal Ca2+ signals in Arabidopsis cells and tissues using the genetically encoded Ca2+ indicators Aequorin or Case12.

Developmental and environmental cues induce Ca2+ fluctuations in plant cells. Stimulus-specific spatial-temporal Ca2+ patterns are sensed by cellular Ca2+ ...

High-throughput CRISPR Vector Construction and Characterization of DNA Modifications by Generation of Tomato Hairy Roots

Targeted DNA mutations generated by vectors with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 technology have proven useful for functional genomics studies. While most cloning strategies are simple to perform, they generally use multiple steps and can require several days to generate the ultimate constructs. The method presented here is based on DNA assembly and can produce fully functional CRISPR vectors in a single cloning reaction. Vector construction can also be pooled, further increasing the efficiency and utility of the process. A modification of the method is used to create CRISPR vectors with multiple gene targets. CRISPR vectors are then transformed into tomato hairy roots to generate transgenic materials with targeted DNA modifications. Hairy roots are a useful system for testing vector functionality as they are technically simple to generate and amenable to large-scale production. The methods presented here will have wide application as they can be used to generate a variety of CRISPR vectors and be used in a wide range of plant species.

Using DNA assembly, multiple CRISPR vectors can be constructed in parallel in a single cloning reaction, making the construction of large numbers of CRISPR vectors a simple task. Tomato hairy roots are an excellent model system to validate CRISPR vectors and generate mutant materials.

Targeted DNA mutations generated by vectors with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 technology have proven useful for ...

Hydroponics: A Versatile System to Study Nutrient Allocation and Plant Responses to Nutrient Availability and Exposure to Toxic Elements

Hydroponic systems have been utilized as one of the standard methods for plant biology research and are also used in commercial production for several crops, including lettuce and tomato. Within the plant research community, numerous hydroponic systems have been designed to study plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Here we present a hydroponic protocol that can be easily implemented in laboratories interested in pursuing studies on plant mineral nutrition.
This protocol describes the hydroponic system set up in detail and the preparation of plant material for successful experiments. Most of the materials described in this protocol can be found outside scientific supply companies, making the set up for hydroponic experiments less expensive and convenient.
The use of a hydroponic growth system is most advantageous in situations where the nutrient media need to be well controlled and when intact roots need to be harvested for downstream applications. We also demonstrate how nutrient concentrations can be modified to induce plant responses to both essential nutrients and toxic non-essential elements.

Here, we present an easy-to-follow protocol to establish a successful hydroponic system for plant nutrition studies. This protocol has been extensively tested in Arabidopsis and can easily be adapted to other plant species to study specific nutritional requirements or the effect of non-essential elements on plant growth and development.

Hydroponic systems have been utilized as one of the standard methods for plant biology research and are also used in commercial production for several ...

Split Green Fluorescent Protein System to Visualize Effectors Delivered from Bacteria During Infection

Bacteria, one of the most important causative agents of various plant diseases, secrete a set of effector proteins into the host plant cell to subvert the plant immune system. During infection cytoplasmic effectors are delivered to the host cytosol via a type III secretion system (T3SS). After delivery into the plant cell, the effector(s) targets the specific compartment(s) to modulate host cell processes for survival and replication of the pathogen. Although there has been some research on the subcellular localization of effector proteins in the host cells to understand their function in pathogenicity by using fluorescent proteins, investigation of the dynamics of effectors directly injected from bacteria has been challenging due to the incompatibility between the T3SS and fluorescent proteins.
Here, we describe our recent method of an optimized split superfolder green fluorescent protein system (sfGFPOPT) to visualize the localization of effectors delivered via the bacterial T3SS in the host cell. The sfGFP11 (11th &#946;-strand of sfGFP)-tagged effector secreted through the T3SS can be assembled with a specific organelle targeted sfGFP1-10OPT (1-10th &#946;-strand of sfGFP) leading to fluorescence emission at the site. This protocol provides a procedure to visualize the reconstituted sfGFP fluorescence signal with an effector protein from Pseudomonas syringae in a particular organelle in the Arabidopsis and Nicotiana benthamiana plants.

Fluorescent protein-based approaches to monitor effectors secreted by bacteria into host cells are challenging. This is due to the incompatibility between fluorescent proteins and the type-III secretion system. Here, an optimized split superfolder GFP system is used for visualization of effectors secreted by bacteria into the host plant cell.

Bacteria, one of the most important causative agents of various plant diseases, secrete a set of effector proteins into the host plant cell to subvert the ...

Measurements of Physiological Stress Responses in C. Elegans

Organisms are often exposed to fluctuating environments and changes in intracellular homeostasis, which can have detrimental effects on their proteome and physiology. Thus, organisms have evolved targeted and specific stress responses dedicated to repair damage and maintain homeostasis. These mechanisms include the unfolded protein response of the endoplasmic reticulum (UPRER), the unfolded protein response of the mitochondria (UPRMT), the heat shock response (HSR), and the oxidative stress response (OxSR). The protocols presented here describe methods to detect and characterize the activation of these pathways and their physiological consequences in the nematode, C. elegans. First, the use of pathway-specific fluorescent transcriptional reporters is described for rapid cellular characterization, drug screening, or large-scale genetic screening (e.g., RNAi or mutant libraries). In addition, complementary, robust physiological assays are described, which can be used to directly assess sensitivity of animals to specific stressors, serving as functional validation of the transcriptional reporters. Together, these methods allow for rapid characterization of the cellular and physiological effects of internal and external proteotoxic perturbations.

Measurements of Physiological Stress Responses in C. Elegans

Here, we characterize cellular proteotoxic stress responses in the nematode C. elegans by measuring the activation of fluorescent transcriptional reporters and assaying sensitivity to physiological stress.

Organisms are often exposed to fluctuating environments and changes in intracellular homeostasis, which can have detrimental effects on their proteome and ...