A transient assay for rapid functional analysis of transcription factors in arabidopsis

We have modified the biolistic process to establish a transient assay for rapid analysis of transcription factors in arabidopsis. ATHB-1, an arabidopsis HD-Zip protein, was used as a transacting factor in particle bombardment experiments with arabidopsis leaves, and was found to transactivate a reporter gene in a binding site-specific manner. The experiments show the feasibility of using microprojectile-mediated gene transfer for rapid functional analysis of transcription factors in arabidopsis