INTRODUCTIONEMS-mutagenized Arabidopsis seed collections can be purchased from companies or acquired from other researchers. But in some cases (e.g., mutagenesis of a specific genotype), it is necessary for an investigator to generate EMS-mutagenized seed. In this protocol, EMS is used at concentrations that induce multiple point mutations in each plant, such that mutant alleles of a specific locus are found at a rate of ~1 in 2000-5000 M(2) plants. This high rate of mutagenesis makes possible the screening of relatively few plants to find those with the phenotype of interest, a particular advantage if the screen is laborious or if only a small number of genes mutate to the required phenotype.
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Weigel et al. (2006) studied this question.