How does your garden grow? 3-D root imaging in real time

Scientists already know that lateral roots in plants develop from cells deep within the main root, so that the emerging roots must force through multiple layers of tissue to reach the soil. Until now, capturing the cell-division events behind this process has proved exceptionally difficult.

The researchers grew Arabidopsis thaliana (a model organism for plant scientists) in miniature chambers placed inside fluorescence microscopes. This new technique allows root production to be observed without damaging these delicate structures.

The top of the chamber, containing the leaves, was illuminated by a timed light source to mimic the natural day / night cycle. The roots, meanwhile, were grown in a special transparent gel to resemble soil. The plants had been genetically engineered to contain special proteins (called "fluorophores") that fluoresce when exposed to specific wavelengths of light. A focused sheet of light was used to illuminate the fluorophores in a single cross section of the root, which was then photographed. Images taken at different levels of the root axis were combined to form a 3D reconstruction. The scientists were able to track the movements of the cells over more than three days, capturing the formation of new roots.

This research was presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Meeting 2014 held at Manchester University, UK, from the 1st - 4th of July.