Home > Press Releases
JST Press Release

July 10, 2015
Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
5-3, Yonbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8666

Real time observation of zygote division in a flowering plant

In multicellular animals and plants the single-celled zygote develops into the embryo. However, observation of zygote division in living material in real time is difficult owing to the restricted accessibility of the embryo within the flower. We established a live-embryo imaging system to observe cell division in a flowering plant from zygote division in real time using advanced microscopy techniques with micro-engineering techniques. Moreover, optical manipulation using a pulse laser demonstrated that damage to the embryo initial cell induces cell-fate conversion of the adjacent extra-embryonic cell to compensate for the generation of plant body even after cell fate is specified.

Researcher Information

JST ERATO
ERATO Higashiyama Live-Holonics Project

Journal Information

Keita Gooh, Minako Ueda, Kana Aruga, Jongho Park, Hideyuki Arata, Tetsuya Higashiyama, and Daisuke Kurihara. “Live-Cell Imaging and Optical Manipulation of Arabidopsis Early Embryogenesis”. Developmental Cell, Published online 9 July 2015, doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2015.06.008.

Contact

[About Research]
Tetsuya Higashiyama, Ph.D.
Professor, Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM), Nagoya University
E-mail:

Daisuke Kurihara, Ph.D.
Designated Assistant Professor, Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University
E-mail:

[About Program]
Takeshi Ohyama
Department of Research Project, JST
7, Goban-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo102-0076
E-mail:

Japanese


JST, an integrated organization of science and technology in Japan, establishes an infrastructure for the entire process from the creation of knowledge to the return to the society. For more information, visit http://www.jst.go.jp/EN/