Protocol: Laser capture microdissection for woody tissues

Laser capture microdissection (LCM) was developed 20 years ago as a way to isolate single cells or clusters of cells for subsequent –omic analysis.  In LCM, thin sections are generated, the cells of interest cut out using a focused laser, and the isolated cells collected for subsequent studies. Several methods have been developed to use LCM for plant tissues. Not surprisingly, woody tissues can provide special challenges. Blokhina et al. present an optimized protocol for the isolation of developing xylem cells from both angiosperm and gymnosperm woody species. Front. Plant Biol. 10.3389/fpls.2016.01965