Total RNA Extraction from Rice Vegetative Tissues Using Magnetic Beads.

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) extraction is the first critical step in gene expression analysis. In this chapter, we describe a high-throughput RNA extraction method using guanidine thiocyanate and isopropyl alcohol (HighGI). The use of carboxyl-coated paramagnetic beads, instead of silica membrane columns, enables semi-automation using a liquid handling system and high-throughput RNA extraction for large-scale transcriptome studies.

iPOTs: Internet of Things-based pot system controlling optional treatment of soil water condition for plant phenotyping under drought stress.

A cultivation facility that can assist users in controlling the soil water condition is needed for accurately phenotyping plants under drought stress in an artificial environment. Here we report the Internet of Things-based pot system controlling optional treatment of soil water condition (iPOTs), an automatic irrigation system that mimics the drought condition in a growth chamber. The Wi-Fi-enabled iPOTs system allows water supply from the bottom of the pot, based on the soil water level set by the user, and automatically controls the soil water level at a desired depth.

Low-cost RNA extraction method for highly scalable transcriptome studies.

RNA extraction has been improved by integration of a variety of materials in the protocol, such as phenol, guanidine thiocyanate, and silica, according to the case-specific demands. However, few methods have been designed for high-throughput RNA preparation for large-scale transcriptome studies. In this study, we established a high-throughput guanidinium thiocyanate and isopropyl alcohol based RNA extraction method (HighGI).

The conservation of polyol transporter proteins and their involvement in lichenized Ascomycota.

In lichen symbiosis, polyol transfer from green algae is important for acquiring the fungal carbon source. However, the existence of polyol transporter genes and their correlation with lichenization remain unclear. Here, we report candidate polyol transporter genes selected from the genome of the lichen-forming fungus (LFF) Ramalina conduplicans.