Synopsis
For several decades, Arabidopsis thaliana has been the organism of choice in the laboratories of many plant geneticists, physiologists, developmental biologists, and biochemists around the world. During this time, a huge amount of knowledge has been acquired on the biology of this plant species, which has resulted in the development of molecular tools that account for much more efficient research. The significance that Arabidopsis would attain in biological research may have been difficult to foresee in the 1980s, when its use in the laboratory started. In the meantime, it has become the model plant organism, much the same way as Drosophila, Caenorhabditis, or mouse have for animal systems. Today, it is difficult to envision research at the cutting edge of plant biology without the use of Arabidopsis. Since the first edition of Arabidopsis Protocols appeared, new developments have fostered an impressive advance in plant biology that prompted us to prepare Arabidopsis Protocols, Second Edition. Completion of the Arabidopsis genome sequence offered for the first time the opportunity to have in hand all of the genetic information required for studying plant function. In addition, the development of whole systems approaches that allow global analysis of gene expression and protein and metabolite dynamics has encouraged scientists to explore new scenarios that are extending the limits of our knowledge.
From the Back Cover
Emulating the much-praised first edition of Arabidopsis Protocols, leading scientists have generated an up-to-date work that reflects recent advances in plant biology, the completion of the Arabidopsis genome sequence-essential for studying plant function-and the development of whole systems approaches that allow global analysis of gene expression, as well as protein and metabolite dynamics. The authors have included nearly all techniques developed in Arabidopsis, others recently adapted from more traditional work in crop species, and the latest using Arabidopsis as a model system. Highlights include the most recent methods-transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics-and their novel applications (phosphoproteomics, DNA microarray-based genotyping, high throughput metabolite profiling, and single-cell RNA). Traditional protocols from the agricultural sciences and others developed in crop species (grafting and chloroplast transformation) have been adapted to exploit the advantages of the Arabidopsis model. The protocols themselves follow the successful Methods in Molecular Biology™ series format, each offering step-by-step laboratory instructions, an introduction outlining the principles behind the technique, lists of the necessary equipment and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.
Indispensable and highly practical, Arabidopsis Protocols, Second Edition offers both novice and experienced plant biologists cutting-edge tools to explore new scenarios and gain an understanding of how this complex, multicellular organism works, how it copes with a sessile life style, and how these strategies compare with those developed in other organisms.
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