Update: Advances in imaging plant cell dynamics

By Jozef Samaj, George Komis, Dominik Novak, Miroslav Ovecka, Olga Samajova

Abstract

After the establishment of advanced fluorescence microscopy methods and the development of numerous fluorescent proteins it is possible to follow the organization and dynamics of most organelles and subcellular compartments in cells of living plants. Nowadays, it is possible to address subcellular architecture at the nanoscale through the implementation of superresolution microscopy methods such as structured illumination microscopy (SIM), photoactivation localization microscopy (PALM) or stochastic optical reconstruction (STORM) and stimulated emission depletion microscopy (STED). In a developmental context, the dynamic cellular and subcellular changes can be monitored long term in whole plant organs by light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM). It is a mesoscopic 25 method offering high speed of imaging, very low phototoxicity and bioimaging of vertically oriented plants. This update aims to provide the principles, the current application range and the expected potential of superresolution and LSFM methods as well as a brief description of improvements of standard wide-field epifluorescence and confocal systems.

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