Zea mays sample prepared using a formaldehyde fixation and confocal imaging technique (IMAGE)
Caption
Formaldehyde fixation improves fluorescence patterns of tissues within maize (Zea mays) leaf cross sections. Treatment with a paraformaldehyde fixative solution revealed distinctive blue/green fluorescence of epidermis, trichomes, xylem, phloem, and bulliform cells resulting from aldehyde-induced fluorescence. By comparison, red autofluorescence of chlorophyll was observed in bundle sheath cells and mesophyll of leaf cross sections. This sample was prepared using a formaldehyde fixation and confocal imaging technique described by Pegg et al. in “Algae to Angiosperms: Autofluorescence for rapid visualization of plant anatomy among diverse taxa” in this issue. Formaldehyde fixation of Viridiplantae taxa samples such as Zea mays generates useful structural data while requiring no additional histological staining or clearing. In addition, image acquisition requires only minimal specialized equipment in the form of fluorescence-capable microscopes.
Credit
Timothy J. Pegg
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License
CC BY-NC-SA