Publication Highlight: Advancing Plant Cryopreservation Through Live-Tissue Imaging
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Featuring work by Heidi Kreckel, Ph.D. Candidate, Colorado State University
Plant biologists have long faced a difficult challenge: how do you image live plant tissues in a way that maintains their cellular architecture, viability, and optical clarity? A recent paper by Heidi D. Kreckel and colleagues in Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture answers this challenge with an elegant solution—by using a Compresstome® vibrating microtome to section live peppermint shoot tips, enabling high-resolution, live-tissue microscopy of plant meristems.
👉 Read the full publication here
In this study, Kreckel’s team demonstrates that thin sections (50 µm) of Mentha × piperita shoot tips, prepared without fixatives or clearing agents, retain both structural integrity and cellular viability. These sections enabled the visualization of subcellular features such as nuclei, mitochondria, and metabolic zones using a range of fluorescence and nonlinear optical imaging techniques—all while keeping the tissue alive for up to 24 hours post-sectioning.
A Deeper Dive: From Sectioning to Cryopreservation with the Compresstome
This publication builds on work Kreckel previously presented in her Precisionary Instruments webinar titled “Live Imaging of Peppermint Shoot Tips in Plant Cryopreservation Research.” In the webinar, she walks through the scientific value of using vibratome-sectioned plant material to explore cryoprotectant uptake and intracellular dynamics in real time—providing an accessible method for researchers working in conservation and biotechnology.
Her talk not only offered biological insights but also practical guidance for researchers working with delicate plant samples. Heidi emphasized how vibrating microtome sectioning dramatically reduces training time compared to traditional hand dissection, while also improving consistency across samples. For live imaging workflows that require both precision and tissue viability, the Compresstome proved to be an indispensable tool.
Pro Tip: Sectioning Small Specimens Using Sticky Spacers
One of Heidi’s most practical tips? Use sticky spacers to help section tiny, delicate samples like plant shoot tips. This simple but clever adjustment to the Compresstome workflow helps elevate specimens and keep them securely mounted in agarose during slicing—leading to more uniform and intact sections.
📄 Download Heidi’s Sticky Spacer Tip Sheet (PDF)
This modification allows the vibrating blade to better engage the full tissue height, and the increased support at the base improves cutting accuracy. It’s an ideal technique not just for peppermint, but for any researcher working with small organoids, buds, or fragile tissue explants.
Why This Work Matters
By combining protocol innovation with microscopy excellence, Kreckel’s work expands what’s possible for plant cryopreservation, tissue preservation, and ex vivo imaging. Her approach opens the door to real-time monitoring of cryoprotectants and other molecular processes in living tissues—without relying on toxic dyes or destructive fixation.
We’re proud to see the Compresstome vibratome empowering cutting-edge research like this. For researchers working in plant biology, cryopreservation, or live-cell imaging, this publication is a must-read.
Interested in optimizing your own workflow for live-tissue sectioning?
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