The regulatory mechanisms involved in plant development include many signals, some of them acting as graded positional cues regulating gene expression in a concentration-dependent manner. These regulatory molecules, that can be considered similar to animal morphogens, control cell behavior in developing organs. A suitable experimental approach to study expression gradients in plants is quantitative laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) using Arabidopsis thaliana root tips as a model system. In this chapter, we outline a detailed method for image acquisition using LSCM, including detailed microscope settings and image analysis using FIJI as software platform.
Keywords: Arabidopsis thaliana; Laser scanning confocal microscopy; PLETHORA; Root; miR396.