In vivo imaging of microtubule organization in dividing giant cell

Mitosis which is a major step during plant development can also be observed in physiopathological conditions. During the compatible interaction between the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita and its host Arabidopsis, the pathogen induce through repeated divisions without complete cytokinesis the formation of hypertrophied and multinucleate feeding cells, named giant cells. Due to the presence of hypertrophied plant cell material surrounding the giant cells, classical live cell imaging gave therefore very poor resolution. Here, we describe a protocol which allows the in vivo observation of the mitotic apparatus in developing giant cells using confocal imaging of vibrosliced tissues. This approach can also be used to visualize in vivo other cellular processes occurring in different steps of giant cells.