ISAC Congress - Plant FCM Workshop Presentations

Despite that the Congress was already over almost one month ago, we are still summarizing some of the plant related events. Now, it is time to provide you with the presentations given in the plant FCM workshops (click on each image for download). The presentations may be used without copyright restrictions except for commercial or for profit use, provided there is some credit to the author and reference to this blog.

Workshop - Plant genome structure and gene expression - organized by David Galbraith and Jaroslav Dolezel











Presentations available by Jan Suda (Preparation and storage of plant samples for DNA flow cytometry), João Loureiro (The effect of cytosol on quantitative staining of nuclear DNA), Johann Greilhuber (Standardization and Standards), Jaroslav Dolezel (Chromosome analysis and sorting) and David Galbraith (Analysis of gene expression, including flow analysis and sorting of organelles and large cells)

Workshop - Plant evolutionary biology, biosystematics and ecology - organized by Brian Husband and Jan Suda







Presentations available by Jan Suda (The impact of FCM on plant Biosystematics and Taxonomy), Paul Kron (Flow Cytometry: Applications in the Study of Plant Reproductive Systems) and Brian Husband (Flow Cytometry and The Evolutionary Dynamics of Polyploids).

We hope that you enjoy the presentations.

ISAC Congress - Day 4

The Day 4 of the now International Society of Advancements on Cytometry saw the comeback of the plant sciences, first by the presence of Jaroslav Dolezel in the Parallel Session of "High Throughput, High Content Analysis" with the very interesting talk on "Development of Flow-Based Strategies for Genomics of Crop Plants". There were also some interesting talks on the Advances in Flow Cytometry Instrumentation, especially those related with Acoustically Focused Sample Streams.

The day continued with the presentation of the FlowJo Software, this time dedicated to the bare basics. It seems quite a powerful tool, but still I would like to test it myself to evaluate which features may be of particular interest for plant DNA flow cytometry purposes. Again, and as with the new instruments, I will soon dedicate a post to the new software that was presented in the Congress.


In the afternoon the first Workshop dedicated to plants took place "Plant Genome Structure and Gene Expression", and to our surprise up to 25 people were present, which clearly surpassed our best expectations. The Workshop was wonderfully conducted by Jaroslav Dolezel and David Galbraith, and we had nice talks made by Jan Suda, Johann Greilhuber and by both chairmans, which covered several topics on the application of FCM in plant sciences, from sample preparation and storage, standards and standardizations, chromosome sorting for studies of genome structure and protoplasts and nuclei sorting for studies of gene expression. I had the opportunity to present some slides on the effect of cytosol on the quantitative staining of DNA, which despite being well received, w perhaps too technical for what was intended. However in each talk, some interesting questions were made and in the end we were satisfied with the overall output and reception of the workshop.

The poster session was just afterwards and again it was a nice opportunity to present the FLOWer database to many different people. The reception was good and it was a very nice idea of the congress organizers to put all the poster of similar areas close to each other.

By the end of the day, I was almost "dead" but there were still some forces for some good dinner and fruitful discussions.

The ISAC congress is coming...

The XXIV International Congress of ISAC is starting already in the following 17th of May and I look forward for the event. I will make a daily report of the congress, accompanied by some documenting pictures. So keep tuned...

For your appetizing I will leave you with the advertising that will be made of one of the highlights in what concerns plant flow cytometry - the Workshop "Plant Genome Structure and Gene Expression". I hope that all the people in the picture are heading to the Budapest Sportsarena for the workshop. We do not mind the sporty clothes!

Dear ISAC Congress Attendee:

Jaroslav Dolezel and David Galbraith would like to invite you to attend Workshop 5 “Plant Genome Structure and Gene Expression” at the International ISAC Congress in Budapest. This workshop is scheduled for 15:45-17:15 on Tuesday, 20 May 2008, and will be held in the Red Room.

This workshop is aimed not simply at scientists interested in employing flow and image cytometry for the manipulation of plant cells, tissues, organs, and organelles. It also will provide valuable information for Operators and Core Managers having no prior experience with plant samples, who increasingly will encounter plant scientists interested in using their technologies and instruments in their plant-based research.

Topics to be presented and discussed will include:

• Preparation and storage of samples for DNA flow cytometry.
• Combating the negative effect of cytosol on nuclear DNA staining.
• Standardization for reliable estimation of nuclear genome size.
• Chromosome isolation and sorting.
• Analysis of gene expression, including flow analysis and sorting of organelles and large cells.

There will also be opportunities provided for questions, comments, etc., from the audience.

WORKSHOP PROGRAM:

Moderators: Jaroslav Dolezel (Olomouc, CR) and David Galbraith (Tucson, USA)

Short presentations on each topic will be given by:

• Jan Suda (Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic)
• Johann Greilhuber (University of Vienna, Austria)
• João Loureiro (Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic)
• Jaroslav Dolezel (Institute of Experimental Botany, Olomouc, Czech Republic)
• David Galbraith (University of Arizona, Tucson, USA)

Open Discussion will follow.

ISAC XXIV International Congress, May 17-21, 2008, Budapest, Hungary
http://www.isac-net.org/congress2008/

ISAC - XXIV International Congress

The next congress of ISAC - International Society for Analytical Cytology will be held next May (17th to 21st) in Budapest. It is with great pleasure that we announce that a tutorial session and two workshops focused on plant flow cytometry were approved for presentation.

Scientific tutorial: Estimation of genome size in plants using flow cytometry
Tutors: Jan Suda, João Loureiro and Johann Greilhuber
Abstract: The last two decades have seen a significant increase in the use of flow cytometry for estimation of genome size in plants (either in absolute terms or in relative units, as an indicator of ploidy level), with the data being successfully utilized in various fields of plant sciences, including biosystematics, ecology, evolutionary biology and biotechnology. This tutorial will focus primarily on the biological significance of genome size variation in plants and on the methodological approaches used to analyse the nuclear DNA content of cells. A set of best practice rules will be presented, and special attention will be given to the strategies that may be employed to investigate recalcitrant plant material. The practical session will include basic protocols using several different isolation buffers and DNA-selective fluorochromes for staining intact plant nuclei. The effect of chemical additives (antioxidants, preservatives) on the quality of histograms will be demonstrated. The tutorial is aimed at newcomers in plant flow cytometry as well as at workers in other fields interested in learning more about specific features of plant material.

Workshop: The impact of flow cytometry on plant evolutionary biology, biosystematics and ecology
Organizers: Brian Husband and Jan Suda

Abstract: Since the 1980s, use of flow cytometry (FCM) in plant population and evolutionary biology, biosystematics, and ecology has expanded dramatically both in scope and frequency. With its ability to collect several quantitative parameters, simultaneously, for large numbers of particles, FCM is widening the diversity of attributes that can be explored on a population scale and the taxonomic, spatial, and temporal scope of these investigations. As a result, the technique has enabled large-scale comparative analyses of genome size evolution, taxonomic identification and delineation, and is advancing new research programs in polyploid evolution and reproductive biology. In combination with other methodological approaches, FCM promises qualitative advances in our understanding of genome multiplication and the population biology of vascular plants. Workshop facilitators will introduce some of the recent developments, problems and applications of FCM in plant population biology, biosystematics and evolution, and then lead a discussion on some or all topics. Two themes that will recur throughout these discussions are: (i) novel applications of flow cytometry as a result of the higher sample throughput and larger sample sizes possible compared to traditional methods; and (ii) the potential benefits of combining FCM with other, notably molecular, techniques.

Workshop: Plant genome structure and gene expression

Organizers: Jaroslav Dolezel and David Galbraith

Abstract: This 90 min workshop will comprise invited talks and talks selected from submitted abstracts. The talks will focus on the most advanced applications of flow cytometry in plants, with an emphasis on the analysis of plant genome structure and function. This includes, but is not restricted to, chromosome sorting for physical genome mapping and gene cloning, and global analysis of gene expression in specific cell types. This workshop is intended to attract a broad range of audience members, ranging from PhD students to senior researchers. To our knowledge, this will be the first scientific workshop at an international conference entirely devoted to advanced applications of flow cytometry in plants that focus on plant genome structure and function.

As soon as we know further details, we will update this post. So check regularly for updates.