Histochemical Staining of <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em> Secondary Cell Wall Elements

Citations Over TimeTop 10% of 2014 papers

Abstract

Arabidopsis thaliana is a model organism commonly used to understand and manipulate various cellular processes in plants, and it has been used extensively in the study of secondary cell wall formation. Secondary cell wall deposition occurs after the primary cell wall is laid down, a process carried out exclusively by specialized cells such as those forming vessel and fiber tissues. Most secondary cell walls are composed of cellulose (40-50%), hemicellulose (25-30%), and lignin (20-30%). Several mutations affecting secondary cell wall biosynthesis have been isolated, and the corresponding mutants may or may not exhibit obvious biochemical composition changes or visual phenotypes since these mutations could be masked by compensatory responses. Staining procedures have historically been used to show differences on a cellular basis. These methods are exclusively visual means of analysis; nevertheless their role in rapid and critical analysis is of great importance. Congo red and calcofluor white are stains used to detect polysaccharides, whereas Mäule and phloroglucinol are commonly used to determine differences in lignin, and toluidine blue O is used to differentially stain polysaccharides and lignin. The seemingly simple techniques of sectioning, staining, and imaging can be a challenge for beginners. Starting with sample preparation using the A. thaliana model, this study details the protocols of a variety of staining methodologies that can be easily implemented for observation of cell and tissue organization in secondary cell walls of plants.

Related Papers

• → A review of xylan and lignin biosynthesis: Foundation for studying Arabidopsisirregular xylemmutants with pleiotropic phenotypes(2014)115 cited
• → Mutations of the secondary cell wall(2001)65 cited
• → Mutations of the secondary cell wall(2001)9 cited
• → The Composition of the Developing Primary Wall in Onion Root Tip Cells. II. Cytochemical Localization(1960)18 cited
• → Hydrolysis of Hemicelluloses Using Combinations of Xylanases and Feruloyl Esterases(1999)3 cited