Preservation of plant cell ultrastructure during immunolocalization of virus particles

Most immunoelectron microscopy techniques used for ultrastructural analyses of virus-infected plant tissues significantly compromise cellular membranous structures as well as overall contrast and resolution of the image. Here, we describe a protocol which avoids these flaws but retains full antigenicity of the sample. A direct comparison of the conventional and the improved electron immunostaining procedures is presented using tobacco and Arabidopsis thaliana plants infected with turnip vein clearing virus.