AN IMPROVED, SIMPLE, INEXPENSIVE AND HIGHLY FLEXIBLE HYDROPONIC SETUP FOR ROOT MITOCHONDRIA ISOLATION FROM ARABIDOPSIS AND NICOTIANA PANTS

Abstract

Hydroponic setups are frequently developed and improved as they are convenient platforms for studying whole plant physiology. Mostly, the available systems produce small amounts of plant material and are therefore, unsuitable for studies requiring large quantities of plant material like isolation of mitochondria. To address this issue, we have modified a hydroponic setup that can sustain hundreds of Arabidopsis and tobacco plants until adult plants are established. The setup is very flexible and easy to construct. It is based on the use of recyclable and sterilizable plastic-net-pots and media containers, which are easily available from the local suppliers. The modified seed-pots and styrofoam sheets facilitate the transfer and harvesting of seedlings. We have used the Percoll based two-step density gradient centrifugation method for the isolation of root mitochondria from the hydroponically grown plants.