VISUAL-PH and VISUAL-CC: Modified Culture Systems for Phloem Differentiation in Arabidopsis

Vascular cell culture systems have served as powerful tools for identifying key regulators of cell differentiation and function. Vascular cell Induction culture System Using Arabidopsis Leaves (VISUAL) is a tissue culture system that can induce not only xylem vessel-like cells but also sieve element-like cells, thus providing a culture-based system for studying phloem cell differentiation. Presented here are two improved versions of the VISUAL assay: VISUAL-PH, which predominantly induces sieve element-like cells with high specificity, and VISUAL-CC, which enables the induction of companion cell-like cells.