Subsurface Image Analysis of Plant Cell Wall with Atomic Force Microscopy
The hypothesis of this paper is that atomic force microscopy (AFM) is not just limited to imaging topography, but, with appropriate image processing, it can give important and quantitative subsurface information. The technical approach was to use high-resolution imaging of cellulosic
structures with AFM, then use image processing with specially developed software. The example chosen here was a hydrated plant cell wall. The novelty of this work was that with the new software, it was possible to image and analyze four layers of plant cell wall laminates below that of the
surface layer. In particular, the structure of primary celery (Apium graveolens L.) epidermis cell walls was characterized at the nano-scale using AFM in the Peak Force Tapping Mode. The plant cell wall micro-fibrils were found to be well separated with spacings of up to almost 50 nm and it
was possible to identify and evaluate five layers in terms of fiber thickness, angular orientation and spacing. We concluded that the micro-fibril structure is weakly anisotropic and shows evidence of both horizontal and vertical bundling of micro-fibrils. The results are significant in that
they provide information about cell wall characteristics several layers below the surface.
No Reference information available - sign in for access.
No Citation information available - sign in for access.
No Supplementary Data.
No Article Media
No Metrics
Keywords: ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY; CELERY (APIUM GRAVEOLENS L.) EPIDERMIS; IMAGE PROCESSING SOFTWARE; MICROFIBRILS; PLANT CELL WALLS
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 01 June 2013
- Journal of Advanced Microscopy Research (JAMR) provides a forum for rapid dissemination of important developments in high-resolution microscopy techniques to image, characterize and analyze man-made and natural samples; to study physicochemical phenomena such as abrasion, adhesion, corrosion and friction; to perform micro and nanofabrication, lithography, patterning, micro and nanomanipulation; theory and modeling, as well as their applications in all areas of science, engineering, and medicine.
- Editorial Board
- Information for Authors
- Subscribe to this Title
- Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites