Donald Danforth Plant Science Center 4 articles published in JoVE Genetics Robust DNA Isolation and High-throughput Sequencing Library Construction for Herbarium Specimens Saman Saeidi*1, Michael R. McKain*1,2, Elizabeth A. Kellogg1 1Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 2Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama This article demonstrates a detailed protocol for DNA isolation and high-throughput sequencing library construction from herbarium material including rescue of exceptionally poor-quality DNA. Biology Live-cell Imaging of Fungal Cells to Investigate Modes of Entry and Subcellular Localization of Antifungal Plant Defensins Kazi T. Islam1, Dilip M. Shah1, Kaoutar El-Mounadi2 1Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 2Department of Biology, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Plant defensins play an important role in plant defense against pathogens. For effective use of these antifungal peptides as antifungal agents, understanding their modes of action (MOA) is critical. Here, a live-cell imaging method is described to study critical aspects of the MOA of these peptides. Environment Methods for Performing Crosses in Setaria viridis, a New Model System for the Grasses Hui Jiang1, Hugues Barbier2, Thomas Brutnell1 1Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 2Boyce Thompson Institute We have developed a methodology for performing crosses in Setaria viridis (S. viridis). The method involves pruning the panicle prior to a hot water treatment to kill viable pollen. Crosses are performed following a well-controlled growth regime and typically result in the recovery of 1 to 7 cross-pollinated seed/s per panicle. Biology Generation of Composite Plants in Medicago truncatula used for Nodulation Assays Ying Deng*1, Guohong Mao*1, William Stutz1, Oliver Yu1 1Donald Danforth Plant Science Center We demonstrate how hairy root composite plants can be used to study plant-rhizobium interactions and nodulation in the difficult-to-transform species Medicago truncatula.