Custom Light Sheet Microscope for Plant Imaging
A custom-built scanning-light-sheet microscope designed for rapid vertical imaging of whole roots, seedlings and plant organs. It is further optimised for whole-plant FRET analysis.
The light sheet system also incorporates equipment for mechanical manipulations. Both live and cleared samples are imaged vertically in a bespoke imaging chamber containing two illumination objectives (10x) and two imaging objectives (20x). The system provides simultaneous imaging from both sides of the sample, and a rotating sample holder allows for multi-angle image captures. A user-friendly LabVIEW interface seamlessly integrates all components, including the extensometer, for streamlined control.
The microscope is located in the Sainsbury Laboratory
Example Applications
This system has been successfully used in various studies leading to multiple publications:
- Next-generation ABACUS biosensors reveal cellular ABA dynamics driving root growth at low aerial humidity, Nature Plants
- Image Reconstruction in Light-Sheet Microscopy: Spatially Varying Deconvolution and Mixed Noise, Journal of Mathematical Imaging and Vision
- Single-nucleus transcriptomics resolves differentiation dynamics between shoot stem cells and primary stem, BioRxiv