Search Here

Researchers have adopted a new approach that combines the precision of an ion beam with the imaging capabilities of an electron beam to zoom in at micron-level resolution to view plant cells in three dimensions without any glasses. 

Although scientists have used focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) for decades, but it is only recently that they have customized it for plant cells imaging. 

 With the help of newly devised technique, researchers produced a stunning collection of images as they developed methods to work with plethora of plant parts, including seed, leaf, stem, root and petal cell types of Arabidopsis thaliana. 

"We attended an open presentation about FIB-SEM held at MTSU about its capabilities, and we immediately thought of using it on plant tissues," explained Dr. A. Bruce Cahoon, according to press release. 

The ion beam slices thin sections of a sample, which are each captured in an image by scanning electron beam, the release added. 

"Certain aspects were very attractive, but it did mean we would have to step back and innovate the technology for plant tissues," added Cahoon.

"The 3D visualization of subcellular structures only seen in 2D views was very satisfying. Some were just as you would imagine but others were surprisingly organized-for example, amorphous aggregates in the petal cell vacuoles that had been dismissed in previous electron microscopy studies as artifacts or uninteresting. The 3D view of these structures revealed a regular pattern appearing in almost every petal mesophyll cell used in our study. When molecules are organized like this, it suggests function and poses new questions."

The study has been published in the journal Applications in Plant Sciences.