Light sheet fluorescence microscopy quantifies calcium oscillations in root hairs

Light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) is a powerful imaging tool; unlike confocal microscopy, which illuminates a sample one small volume at a time, LSFM illuminates a complete optical section at a time, greatly speeding up the imaging process and lowering phototoxic effects. Candeo et al. use close-to-physiological imaging of tip-growing root hairs through the combination of LSFM with the Yellow Chameleon YC3.6 reporter, which provides a sensitive readout for calcium and can be used to record calcium oscillations in the root hair. The authors recorded both low- and high-frequency calcium oscillations, and showed a correlation between the high-frequency oscillations and the pulsatile behaviour of root hair growth. Plant Cell Physiol. 10.1093/pcp/pcx045