Using a Reverse Genetics Approach to Investigate Small-Molecule Activity

Chemical genomics is a highly effective approach for understanding complex and dynamic biological processes in plants. A chemical activity can be investigated by a reverse genetics strategy, for which a huge abundance and diversity of Arabidopsis thaliana mutants are readily available for exploitation. Here we present an approach to characterize a chemical of interest, as well as examples of studies demonstrating an effective combination of chemical genomics with reverse genetics strategies, drawn from recent literature on phytohormone signalling and auxin transport.