Imaging and analysis of mitochondrial dynamics in living cells

One of the most striking features of plant mitochondria when visualized in living tissue is their dynamism. The beauty of cytoplasmic streaming, driving, and being driven by the motility of mitochondria and other small organelles belies the complexity of the process. Equally, capturing that dynamism and investigating the genes, proteins, and mechanisms underpinning the processes using molecular cell biology and bioimaging is a complex process. It requires the generation of fluorescent protein constructs, stable transgenic plants sometimes expressing multiple fusions, and generation of mutants, even before one is ready for analytical experimentation. Here, we describe some of the key tools and methods necessary to investigate plant mitochondrial dynamics.