Hands-on experimentalists describe the cutting-edge microscopical methods needed for the effective study of plant cell biology today. These powerful techniques, all described in great detail to ensure successful experimental results, range from light microscope cytochemistry, autoradiography, and immunocytochemistry, to recent developments in fluorescence, confocal, and dark-field microscopies. Important advances in both conventional and scanning electron microscopies are also fully developed, together with such state-of-the-art ancillary techniques as high-resolution autoradiography, immunoelectron microscopy, X-ray microanalysis, and electron systems imaging. Easy-to-use and up-to-date, Methods in Plant Electron Microscopy and Cytochemistry offers today's plant scientists a first class collection of readily reproducible light and electron microscopical methods that will prove the new standard for all working in the field.

Electron Microscopy of Plant Cells serves as manual or reference of major modern techniques used to prepare plant material for transmission and scanning electron microscopy. There have been other books that generally discuss electron microscope methodology. This book focuses on problem areas encountered through the presence of tough cell walls and large central vacuole. It details preparative techniques for botanical specimens. Each of the nine chapters of this book covers the basic principles, useful applications, and reliable procedures used on the method of electron microscopy. Other topics discussed in each chapter include the general preparation and straining of thin sections, quantitative morphological analysis, and enzyme cytochemistry. This book also explains the immunogold labelling, rapid-freezing methods, and ambient- and low-temperature scanning electron microscopy among others. This book will be invaluable to general scientists, biologists, botanists, and students specializing in plant anatomy.

Plants, fungi, and viruses were among the first biological objects studied with an electron microscope. One of the two first instruments built by Siemens was used by Helmut Ruska, a brother of Ernst Ruska, the pioneer in constructing electron microscopes. H. Ruska published numerous papers on different biological objects in 1939. In one of these, the pictures by G. A. Kausche, E. Pfankuch, and H. Ruska of tobacco mosaic virus opened a new age in microscopy. The main problem was then as it still is today, to obtain an appropriate preparation of the specimen for observation in the electron microscope. Beam damage and specimen thickness were the first obstacles to be met. L. Marton in Brussels not only built his own instrument, but also made considerable progress in specimen preparation by introducing the impregnation of samples with heavy metals to obtain useful contrast. His pictures of the bird nest orchid root impregnated with osmium were revolutionary when published in 1934. It is not the place here to recall the different techniques which were developed in the subsequent years to attain the modern knowledge on the fine structure of plant cells and of different plant pathogens. The tremendous progress obtained with tobacco mosaic virus is reflected in the chapter by M. Wurtz on the fine structure of viruses in this Volume. New cytochemical and immunological techniques considerably surpass the morphological information obtained from the pathogens, especially at the host-parasite interface.

With the 'post genomics' era comes an increasing demand for the techniques of cell biology, critical to interpreting the function and location of the cell's myriad proteins and macromolecules. In response, this second edition of Plant Cell Biology balances established techniques, including classical histochemistry and electron microscopy, with new developments in the field. The book covers a substantial range of methods for working on living cells, including the application of fluorescent probes, cytometry, expression systems, the use of green fluorescent protein, micromanipulation and electrophysiological techniques. Also featured are chapters on macromolecular location procedures involving immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridisation, and the book concludes with a range of biochemical techniques for the isolation of cytoplasmic organelles. The book provides advanced students, postgraduates and researchers in the plant sciences with an invaluably comprehensive guide to the ever-growing field of plant cell biology.

Fixation. Embedding. Microtomy. General stains. Cytochemical stains. Negative staining. Specimen support films. Replicas. Preparation for scanning electron microscopy. Special techniques. Autoradiography. The instrument and photography.