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Review
. 2021 May 11;22(10):5071.
doi: 10.3390/ijms22105071.

Single-Molecule Imaging in Living Plant Cells: A Methodological Review

Ai-Yu Guo  1 , Ya-Mei Zhang  1 , Liu Wang  1 , Di Bai  1 , Ya-Peng Xu  1 , Wen-Qiang Wu  1
Affiliations
Review

Single-Molecule Imaging in Living Plant Cells: A Methodological Review

Ai-Yu Guo et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Single-molecule imaging is emerging as a revolutionary approach to studying fundamental questions in plants. However, compared with its use in animals, the application of single-molecule imaging in plants is still underexplored. Here, we review the applications, advantages, and challenges of single-molecule fluorescence imaging in plant systems from the perspective of methodology. Firstly, we provide a general overview of single-molecule imaging methods and their principles. Next, we summarize the unprecedented quantitative details that can be obtained using single-molecule techniques compared to bulk assays. Finally, we discuss the main problems encountered at this stage and provide possible solutions.

Keywords: light sheet; methodology; plant imaging; single-molecule imaging.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of instrumentations for single-molecule research. (A) Confocal fluorescence microscopy. (B) Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM). (C) Light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM).
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