Beauty of science: traces of iron in an arabidopsis leaf

05-06-2014

The images show the leaf surface of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. They were acquired at beamline ID21 using X-ray fluorescence imaging while under cryo-conditions (340 µm x 420 µm, lateral resolution 2 µm).

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This comparative study aids our understanding of iron homeostasis in plants. It is important for bio-fortification of food crops to fight against iron deficiency, which is a major nutritional disorder in humans.

Trace element distribution in an arabidopsis leaf

Trace element distribution in an arabidopsis leaf.  Colours indicate the distribution of elements: Fe: red, K: green, Ca: blue.  In the wild-type (left), iron is detected in the base of the trichomes (leaf hairs), while in the mutant (right), iron is distributed homogeneously. Credit: Camille Larue and Ute Krämer, University of Bochum, Germany.

 

 

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European Synchrotron Radiation Facility - 71, avenue des Martyrs, CS 40220, 38043 Grenoble Cedex 9, France.