Mechanisms of growth and patterns of gene expression in oxygen-deprived rice coleoptiles.

Coleoptiles of rice (Oryza sativa) seedlings grown under water commonly elongate by up to 1 mm h(-1) to reach the atmosphere. We initially analysed this highly specialized phenomenon by measuring epidermal cell lengths along the coleoptile axis to determine elongation rates. This revealed a cohort of cells in the basal zone that elongated rapidly following emergence from the embryo, reaching 200 μm within 12 h.

Four-dimensional telomere analysis in recordings of living human cells acquired with controlled light exposure microscopy.

Telomeres are the complex end structures that confer functional integrity and positional stability to human chromosomes. Telomere research has long been dominated by length measurements and biochemical analyses. Recently, interest has shifted towards the role of their three-dimensional organization and dynamics within the nuclear volume.

High content image cytometry in the context of subnuclear organization.

The organization of proteins in space and time is essential to their function. To accurately quantify subcellular protein characteristics in a population of cells with regard for the stochasticity of events in a natural context, there is a fast-growing need for image-based cytometry. Simultaneously, the massive amount of data that is generated by image-cytometric analyses, calls for tools that enable pattern recognition and automated classification.

Controlled light exposure microscopy reveals dynamic telomere microterritories throughout the cell cycle.

Telomeres are complex end structures that confer functional integrity and positional stability to human chromosomes. Despite their critical importance, there is no clear view on telomere organization in cycling human cells and their dynamic behavior throughout the cell cycle. We investigated spatiotemporal organization of telomeres in living human ECV-304 cells stably expressing telomere binding proteins TRF1 and TRF2 fused to mCitrine using four dimensional microscopy.