Tan D. Tuong

Histological analysis and 3D reconstruction of winter cereal crowns recovering from freezing: a unique response in oat (Avena sativa L.).

The crown is the below ground portion of the stem of a grass which contains meristematic cells that give rise to new shoots and roots following winter. To better understand mechanisms of survival from freezing, a histological analysis was performed on rye, wheat, barley and oat plants that had been frozen, thawed and allowed to resume growth under controlled conditions. Extensive tissue disruption and abnormal cell structure was noticed in the center of the crown of all 4 species with relatively normal cells on the outside edge of the crown. A unique visual response was found in oat in the shape of a ring of cells that stained red with Safranin. A tetrazolium analysis indicated that tissues immediately inside this ring were dead and those outside were alive. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that the barrier fluoresced with excitation between 405 and 445 nm. Three dimensional reconstruction of a cross sectional series of images indicated that the red staining cells took on a somewhat spherical shape with regions of no staining where roots entered the crown. Characterizing changes in plants recovering from freezing will help determine the genetic basis for mechanisms involved in this important aspect of winter hardiness.

3D volumes constructed from pixel-based images by digitally clearing plant and animal tissue.

Construction of three‐dimensional volumes from a series of two‐dimensional images has been restricted by the limited capacity to decrease the opacity of tissue. The use of commercial software that allows colour‐keying and manipulation of two‐dimensional images in true three‐dimensional space allowed us to construct three‐dimensional volumes from pixel‐based images of stained plant and animal tissue without generating vector information. We present three‐dimensional volumes of (1) the crown of an oat plant showing internal responses to a freezing treatment, (2) a sample of a hepatocellular carcinoma from a woodchuck liver that had been heat‐treated with computer‐guided radiofrequency ablation to induce necrosis in the central portion of the tumour, and (3) several features of a sample of mouse lung. The technique is well suited to images from large sections (greater than 1 mm) generated from paraffin‐embedded tissues. It is widely applicable, having potential to recover three‐dimensional information at virtually any resolution inherent in images generated by light microscopy, computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging or electron microscopy.

Persistent Supercooling of Reproductive Shoots Is Enabled by Structural Ice Barriers Being Active Despite an Intact Xylem Connection

Extracellular ice nucleation usually occurs at mild subzero temperatures in most plants. For persistent supercooling of certain plant parts ice barriers are necessary to prevent the entry of ice from already frozen tissues. The reproductive shoot of Calluna vulgaris is able to supercool down to below -22°C throughout all developmental stages (shoot elongation, flowering, fruiting) despite an established xylem conductivity. After localization of the persistent ice barrier between the reproductive and vegetative shoot at the base of the pedicel by infrared differential thermal analysis, the currently unknown structural features of the ice barrier tissue were anatomically analyzed on cross and longitudinal sections. The ice barrier tissue was recognized as a 250 μm long constriction zone at the base of the pedicel that lacked pith tissue and intercellular spaces. Most cell walls in this region were thickened and contained hydrophobic substances (lignin, suberin, and cutin). A few cell walls had what appeared to be thicker cellulose inclusions. In the ice barrier tissue, the area of the xylem was as much as 5.7 times smaller than in vegetative shoots and consisted of tracheids only. The mean number of conducting units in the xylem per cross section was reduced to 3.5% of that in vegetative shoots. Diameter of conducting units and tracheid length were 70% and 60% (respectively) of that in vegetative shoots. From vegetative shoots water transport into the ice barrier must pass pit membranes that are likely impermeable to ice. Pit apertures were about 1.9 μm x 0.7 μm, which was significantly smaller than in the vegetative shoot. The peculiar anatomical features of the xylem at the base of the pedicel suggest that the diameter of pores in pit membranes could be the critical constriction for ice propagation into the persistently supercooled reproductive shoots of C. vulgaris.

Complex bud architecture and cell-specific chemical patterns enable supercooling of Picea abies bud primordia

Abstract Bud primordia of Picea abies, despite a frozen shoot, stay ice free down to −50 °C by a mechanism termed supercooling whose biophysical and biochemical requirements are poorly understood. Bud architecture was assessed by 3D—reconstruction, supercooling and freezing patterns by infrared video thermography, freeze dehydration and extraorgan freezing by water potential measurements, and cell‐specific chemical patterns by Raman microscopy and mass spectrometry imaging. A bowl‐like ice barrier tissue insulates primordia from entrance by intrinsic ice. Water repellent and densely packed bud scales prevent extrinsic ice penetration. At −18 °C, break‐down of supercooling was triggered by intrinsic ice nucleators whereas the ice barrier remained active. Temperature‐dependent freeze dehydration (−0.1 MPa K−1) caused accumulation of extraorgan ice masses that by rupture of the shoot, pith tissue are accommodated in large voids. The barrier tissue has exceptionally pectin‐rich cell walls and intercellular spaces, and the cell lumina were lined or filled with proteins, especially near the primordium. Primordial cells close to the barrier accumulate di, tri and tetrasaccharides. Bud architecture efficiently prevents ice penetration, but ice nucleators become active inside the primordium below a temperature threshold. Biochemical patterns indicate a complex cellular interplay enabling supercooling and the necessity for cell‐specific biochemical analysis.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of frozen and thawed plant tissues from microscopic images.

Histological analysis of frozen and thawed plants has been conducted for many years but the observation of individual sections provides only a 2-dimensional representation of a 3-dimensional phenomenon. Most techniques for viewing internal plant structure in three dimensions are either low in resolution or the instrument cannot penetrate deep enough into the tissue to visualize the whole plant. Techniques with higher resolution are expensive and equipment often requires time-consuming training. We present a relatively simple and less-expensive technique using pixel-based (JPEG) images of histological sections of an Arabidopsis thaliana plant and commercially available software to generate 3D reconstructions of internal structures. The technique has proven to work just as effectively for images from medical histology.

Visualizing surface area and volume of lumens in three dimensions using images from histological sections

Visualizing the interior (lumen) of a tubular structure within tissue can provide a unique perspective on anatomical organization of the tissue. Portal tracts of the liver contain several vessels and ducts in various patterns of intertwining branches and are an example of such spaces. An inexpensive method, using light microscopy and a sample of conventionally stained canine livers, was used to colorize and allow visualization of the lumens of vessels within the portal tract in three dimensions. When the colour of the background was digitally cleared and the lumen filled with a solid colour, it was possible to measure areas and volumes of the portal vein, arteries, bile ducts and lymphatics. Significant differences between vessels and ducts across lobes and gender in control samples are discussed. Differences were also found between control and mixed breed dogs and between controls and a dog that died of accidental traumatic haemorrhage. These differences are discussed in relation to visualizing lumens using images generated from a light microscope. Vessels in plants such as xylem and continuously formed spaces resulting from ice formation are other examples where this technique could be applied.

Protocol for Producing Three-Dimensional Infrared Video of Freezing in Plants

Freezing in plants can be monitored using infrared (IR) thermography, because when water freezes, it gives off heat. However, problems with color contrast make 2-dimensions (2D) infrared images somewhat difficult to interpret. Viewing an IR image or the video of plants freezing in 3 dimensions (3D) would allow a more accurate identification of sites for ice nucleation as well as the progression of freezing. In this paper, we demonstrate a relatively simple means to produce a 3D infrared video of a strawberry plant freezing. Strawberry is an economically important crop that is subjected to unexpected spring freeze events in many areas of the world. An accurate understanding of the freezing in strawberry will provide both breeders and growers with more economical ways to prevent any damage to plants during freezing conditions. The technique involves a positioning of two IR cameras at slightly different angles to film the strawberry freezing. The two video streams will be precisely synchronized using a screen capture software that records both cameras simultaneously. The recordings will then be imported into the imaging software and processed using an anaglyph technique. Using red-blue glasses, the 3D video will make it easier to determine the precise site of ice nucleation on leaf surfaces.