Visualization of microtubules in living cells of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

Microtubules (MTs) were visualized in livings cells of several tissues in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana. The transformed Arabidopsis plant was obtained by infecting it with Agrobacterium tumefaciens carrying the GFP-TUA6 plasmid. The fluorescence of the MTs was due to the fluorescence of GFP-TUA6 that was polymerized into the MTs. The distribution patterns of the visualized MTs in the living epidermal cells of leaves was similar to that in fixed epidermal cells. The actual destruction of MTs by oryzalin was observed in a living cell. Cytochalasin B exerts no effect on the distribution pattern of MTs. The fluorescence intensity of MTs was different among cells in different tissues.