Chloroplast Research in Arabidopsis, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2011 Methods and Protocols, Volume I Methods in Molecular Biology Series, Vol. 774

Chloroplasts are essential for the survival and flourishing of life on Earth. Over the years, chloroplast biology has been studied in a variety of different organisms, leading to the significant disadvantage that findings which were made by using different experimental systems or species were not always directly cross-comparable.  The relatively recent adoption of Arabidopsis thaliana as the model organism of choice for plant science research, across the globe, has led to its emergence as a pre-eminent system for research on chloroplasts and other types of plastid.  In Chloroplast Research in Arabidopsis: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers bring together some of the most important, modern techniques and approaches for chloroplast research, with the unifying theme of Arabidopsis as the model system. Volume I explores topics such as genetics, cytology, in vivo analysis, gene expression, and protein accumulation, as well as protein transport, localization, and topology.  Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology? series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Screening or Selection for Chloroplast Biogenesis Mutants of Arabidopsis, Following Chemical or Insertional Mutagenesis.- Analysis of Plastid Number, Size, and Distribution in Arabidopsis Plants by Light and Fluorescence Microscopy.- Immunofluorescence Microscopy for Localization of Arabidopsis Chloroplast Proteins.- Transient Expression and Analysis of Chloroplast Proteins in Arabidopsis Protoplasts.- Visualisation of Stromules on Arabidopsis Plastids.- Analysis of Chloroplast Movement and Relocation in Arabidopsis.- Studying Starch Content and Sedimentation of Amyloplast Statoliths In Arabidopsis Roots.- Studying Arabidopsis Chloroplast Structural Organization Using Transmission Electron Microscopy.- Transplastomics in Arabidopsis: Progress Towards Developing an Efficient Method.- Isolation, Quantification, and Analysis of Chloroplast DNA.- Measurement of Transcription Rates in Arabidopsis Chloroplasts.- Studying the Structure and Processing of Chloroplast Transcripts.- In Vitro RNA Binding Assay for Studying Trans-Factors for RNA Editing in Chloroplasts.- Studying Translation in ArabidopsisChloroplasts.- Studying Proteases and Protein Turnover in Arabidopsis Chloroplasts.- In Silico Methods for the Identification of Organellar and Suborganellar Targeting Peptides in Arabidopsis Chloroplast Proteins and for Predicting the Topology of Membrane Proteins.- Rapid Isolation of ArabidopsisChloroplasts and Their Use for In VitroProtein Import Assays.- Energetic Manipulation of Chloroplast Protein Import and the Use of Chemical Cross-Linkers to Map Protein-Protein Interactions.- Isolation of Arabidopsis Thylakoid Membranes and Their Use for In Vitro Protein Insertion or Transport Assays.- Determining the Location of an Arabidopsis Chloroplast Protein Using In Vitro Import Followed by Fractionation and Alkaline Extraction.- Studying Arabidopsis Envelope Protein Localization and Topology Using Thermolysin and Trypsin Proteases.