Localization of Hydrogen Peroxide Production in Pisum sativum L. Using Epi-Polarization Microscopy to Follow Cerium Perhydroxide Deposition

Cerium is becoming an increasingly popular reagent for histochemical localization of oxidases and phosphatases because it combines directly with reaction products to form fine precipitates of electron-dense materials that can be easily detected using transmission electron microscopy or laser confocal scanning microscopy. We used epi-polarization microscopy to detect cerium perhydroxide deposits formed when H2O2 was produced by diamine oxidase in pea (Pisum sativum L.) epicotyls exposed to exogenous putrescine. Diamine oxidase activity was abundant in cortical cell walls but showed little, if any, association with vascular tissues. Maps of cerium deposition generated using scanning electron microscopy/x-ray microanalysis verified these observations. This study demonstrates the use of epi-polarization microscopy to follow cerium deposition, and the ready accessibility of this microscopy technique should facilitate more widespread use of cerium for plant histochemistry and cytochemistry.