Laser microdissection of semi-thin sections from plastic-embedded tissue for studying plant–organism developmental processes at single-cell resolution

The ability to analyze the gene activity occurring within a single cell has ushered in a new understanding of complex biological processes. Furthermore, this capability has established the prerequisite technologies for the analysis of cells involved in complex pathogenic and/or symbiotic interactions. Collectively, the identification of biological models permitting the analysis of individual cells and improvements in histological technology are allowing for analyses of cells positioned within tissues and involved in complex cellular interactions at unprecedented resolution. Here, a plastic embedding procedure is used for laser microdissection of plant tissues infected with a pathogen. This technique enabled the acquisition of nucleic acids from semi-thin sections that can be used for downstream biological studies of host–pathogen interaction at the single-cell resolution.