Quantification of Protein Enrichment at Plasmodesmata

Abstract

Intercellular communication plays a crucial role in the establishment of multicellular organisms by organizing and coordinating growth, development and defence responses. In plants, cell-to-cell communication takes place through nanometric membrane channels called plasmodesmata (PD). Understanding how PD dictate cellular connectivity greatly depends on a comprehensive knowledge of the molecular composition and the functional characterization of PD components. While proteomic and genetic approaches have been crucial to identify PD-associated proteins, in vivo fluorescence microscopy combined with fluorescent protein tagging is equally crucial to visualise the subcellular localisation of a protein of interest and gain knowledge about their dynamic behaviour. In this protocol we describe in detail a robust method for quantifying the degree of association of a given protein with PD, through ratiometric fluorescent intensity using confocal microscopy. Although developed for N. benthamiana and Arabidopsis, this protocol can be adapted to other plant species.

Keywords: Confocal data analysis; Confocal microscopy; PD Index; Plasmodesmata; Protein enrichment.