Development of clearing method for plant tissues

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K14743
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 44040:Morphology and anatomical structure-related
• Research Institution: Osaka University (2019); Tokyo University of Science (2018)
• Principal Investigator: Sakamoto Yuki 大阪大学, 理学研究科, 助教 (00735483)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 透明化 / 顕微鏡

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I developed a novel clearing method “iTOMEI” which rapidly and completely clears plant tissue maintaining fluorescence of fluorescent proteins. iTOMEI is composed of 4 steps : fixation, decolorization, reactivation of fluorescent protein, and unification of reflective index. This method can use for not only plant tissues such as Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, and Marchantia polymorpha but also animal tissue.

Free Research Field

植物細胞生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究で開発された透明化技術iTOMEIは簡便かつ迅速に植物組織を透明化できることから、植物を用いた基礎研究のみならず応用的な研究にも広く用いられると考えられる。特に非破壊的に透明化が可能であることから、農作物における害虫や寄生虫、病原菌の発見や感染箇所の同定、作物の品種間の細胞形態、組織の内部構造の観察、比較をもとにより良い品種改良への足がかりにつながる。