Imaging plant tissues: advances and promising clearing practices.

Area of Science:

• Plant Biology
• Microscopy
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Understanding plant organ structure and physiological complexity necessitates 3D imaging at subcellular resolution.
• Plant organs are often opaque to light, hindering optical sectioning microscopy.
• Existing animal organ clearing protocols (CPs) face challenges in plant tissues due to fibers and pigments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review advancements in plant clearing protocols (CPs) over the last two decades.
• To present a modified taxonomy of CPs based on physical and optical parameters impacting tissue properties.
• To discuss the integration of CPs with novel microscopy methods for future plant science applications.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of plant clearing protocols developed over the past 20 years.
• Classification of CPs using a modified taxonomy focusing on physical and optical properties.
• Analysis of successful combinations of CPs with advanced microscopy techniques.

Main Results:

• Significant progress has been made in developing plant-specific clearing protocols.
• A new taxonomy aids in understanding how CPs affect plant tissue properties.
• Integration of CPs with microscopy enables enhanced visualization of plant organ structures.

Conclusions:

• Clearing protocols are crucial for overcoming light opacity in plant organs.
• Continued development of CPs and their combination with microscopy will advance plant science research.
• Future applications include detailed studies of plant physiology and organ development at subcellular resolution.