Vital Autofluorescence: Application to the Study of Plant Living Cells

Table 1

Autofluorescence in pollen diagnostics (LM—Luminescence microscopy, MS—Microspectrofluorimetry, LSCM—Laser-scanning confocal microscope).

Diagnostics	Microscopic method	Fluorescence characteristics
Vital pollen characteristics. Changes in the autofluorescence of the pollen wall during microsporogenesis and chemical treatments [11, 12]	LM, MS	Color and fluorescence spectra
Wall development of sterile and fertile pollen [13]	LM	Color
Assessment of pollen retention using exine autofluorescence [14]	LM	Images
Matured and non-matured pollen [15–19]	MS	Fluorescence spectra (pigment composition)
Self-incompatibility and self-compatibility of pollen [17]	MS	Fluorescence spectra (pigment composition)
Pollen loads analysis as well as pollen-derived products of bees [8, 17]	MS	Fluorescence spectra (pigment composition—azulenes, carotenoids)
Pollen-pollen interactions in the mixtures [8, 20–23]	LSCM, MS	Changes in the fluorescence spectra of pollen from different species reflect changes in pigments’ state
Pollen viability [8, 17]	MS	Fluorescence intensity after moistening
Pollen-pistil interaction at fertilization [8, 17, 24]	MS	Changes in the fluorescence spectra reflect the receptor state
Exine structure [25]	LSCM	Images
Quantifying dynamics of pollen shed [26]	LM	Images
Ozone damages [27–29]	MS	Changes in the fluorescence spectra reflect pigments’ state and forming pigment of aging lipofuscin
Damages by reactive oxygen species [28, 29]	MS	Changes in the fluorescence spectra
Classification of pollen grain species using autofluorescence image analysis [30, 31]	LM	Images and blue/red autofluorescence ratio
Testing in nanotechnology: Commercially produced fullerene fine particles [32]	LM	Adhesion of nanoparticles estimated on the autofluorescence intensity changes
The search of fruitful varieties from certain plant species [33]	LSCM	Images
Genetic screen to identify genes involved in pollen exine production [34]	LSCM	Wild-type exine fluoresces with two peaks 460 nm (higher) and 505 nm (lower)
A novel screen identifies multiple pollen mutants that have defective exine [34]	LSCM	Defective mutants differ in the emission intensity in the above-mentioned peaks
Taxonomic classification of pollen [35]	LSCM	Images
Pollen concentration in air [6, 36]	LM, LSCM	Images, emission intensity