Transient RNAi Assay in 96-Well Plate Format Facilitates High-Throughput Gene Function Studies in Planta

Here we describe a rapid high-throughput method for performing RNA interference (RNAi) in moss, in which phenotyping is performed within 1 week after transformation. The moss Physcomitrella patens is a great plant model system for reverse genetic studies due to its amenability to homologous recombination as well as RNAi. Our lab has developed a rapid RNAi assay to screen for growth phenotypes in moss protonemal tissue. Here we describe how we have recently further facilitated this assay by modifying the PEG-mediated transformation protocol allowing for transformations to be carried out in a semiautomated fashion in a 96-well plate format.