The study of transient gene expression provides a useful complement to the study of stably transformed plants. Transient assays offer a quick method of testing the effects of genes, using either phenotypic, molecular, or biochemical readouts. Transient assays based on Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of leaf explants have been described for other plant species, but it is not known how well these assays work in Arabidopsis.

Protocol: Transient Expression in Protoplasts