Hi tobias,
 
I only used dyes on fixed arabidopsis roots but it should be possible to use one of the syto dyes.
these should especially stain DNA in living tissue.
 
You might however have some problems with penetration into the root tip. So far we have only obtained equal staining after fixation.
 
With kind regards
Joost Willemse
 
 
 
 
-----Original Message----- 
From: Confocal Microscopy List on behalf of Joel Sheffield 
Sent: Thu 9/14/2006 18:29 
To: [log in to unmask] 
Cc: 
Subject: Re: seeing chromosomes in living plant nuclei



	Search the CONFOCAL archive at
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	We have used 7-aad (7amino actinomycin D) as a far red stain for
	nuclei.  I would worry about using this on living cells, since it
	intercalates in the DNA, and the parent compound, actinomycin D, is
	known as an inhibitor of mrna synthesis.
	
	Joel
	
	> Search the CONFOCAL archive at
	> http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal
	>
	> Greetings,
	>  I would like to hear from anyone who has had success imaging
	> mitotic chromatin in living plant cells, specifically in arabidopsis
	> roots. The important constraint is that we do not have a uv laser on
	> our confocal so I am looking for something with  excitation at visible
	> wavelengths. We have looked at GFP-histone lines but find that
	> chromosomes in mitosis tend to be faint. We have tried a dye known as
	> DRAQ5 but this didn't work for us. I am generally aware of a host of
	> visable DNA stains (used for gels, flow cytometry, even animal cells)
	> but I would like to hear from someone who as actually used something
	> successfully for imaging chromatin in plant cells.
	>
	>  Many thanks,
	>    Tobias Baskin
	> --
	>        _      ____          __   ____
	>       /  \   /          / \    /   \ \        Tobias I. Baskin
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	--
	Joel B. Sheffield, Ph.D.
	Biology Department, Temple University
	1900 North 12th Street
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