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Plasmodesmata pp 199–227Cite as

Probing Plasmodesmata Function with Biochemical Inhibitors

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1217))

Abstract

To investigate plasmodesmata (PD) function, a useful technique is to monitor the effect on cell-to-cell transport of applying an inhibitor of a physiological process, protein, or other cell component of interest. Changes in PD transport can then be monitored in one of several ways, most commonly by measuring the cell-to-cell movement of fluorescent tracer dyes or of free fluorescent proteins. Effects on PD structure can be detected in thin sections of embedded tissue observed using an electron microscope, most commonly a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). This chapter outlines commonly used inhibitors, methods for treating different tissues, how to detect altered cell-to-cell transport and PD structure, and important caveats.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Janine Radford at Monash University; Robyn Overall, Terena Holdaway-Clarke, Debbie Barton, and other Sydney University colleagues; Mark Talbot, summer students, and others in my lab at CSIRO Plant Industry for tips, tricks, comments, and assistance along the way.

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  1. Black Mountain Laboratories, CSIRO Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Clunies Ross Street, Black Mountain, ACT, 2601, Australia

    Rosemary G. White

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  1. Rosemary G. White
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Correspondence to Rosemary G. White .

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  1. Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes (IBMP-CNRS), Strasbourg, France

    Manfred Heinlein

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White, R.G. (2015). Probing Plasmodesmata Function with Biochemical Inhibitors. In: Heinlein, M. (eds) Plasmodesmata. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1217. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1523-1_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1523-1_14

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