Inducible Promoter Systems for Gene Perturbation Experiments in Arabidopsis

Assessing molecular changes that occur through altering a gene's activity is often hampered by difficulties that arise due to the typically static nature of the introduced perturbation. This is especially problematic when investigating molecular events at specific stages and/or in certain tissues or organs during Arabidopsis development. To circumvent these issues, we have employed chemically inducible artificial microRNAs (amiRNAs) for the specific knockdown of developmental regulators. For our own research, we have combined this gene perturbation approach with a floral induction system, which allows the simultaneous induction of a large number of flowers on the inflorescence of a single plant, and the ability to knock down a gene's activity at any given stage of development. To enable the plant community to avail of the full benefits of these systems, we describe, in this chapter, strategies for amiRNA-mediated gene perturbations and address some common problems that can be encountered when generating inducible amiRNA constructs, growing these plants, and collecting floral buds for analysis.