Abstract
Programmed cell death (PCD) is a genetically regulated developmental process leading to the death of specific types of plant cells, which plays important roles in plant development and growth such as wood formation. However, an efficient method needs to be established to study PCD in woody plants. Flow cytometry is widely utilized to evaluate apoptosis in mammalian cells, while it is rarely used to detect PCD in plants, especially in woody plants. Here, we reported that the xylem cell protoplasts from poplar stem were stained with a combination of fluorescein annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide (PI) and then sorted by flow cytometry. As expected, living cells (annexin V-FITC negative/PI negative), early PCD cells (annexin V-FITC positive/PI negative), and late PCD cells (annexin V-FITC positive/PI positive) could be finely distinguished through this method and then subjected for quantitative analysis. The expression of cell-type- and developmental stages-specific marker genes was consistent with the cell morphological observation. Therefore, the newly developed fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) method can be used to study PCD in woody plants, which will be beneficial for studying the molecular mechanisms of wood formation.
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Claims 3
Claim · model-written summary
Flow cytometry distinguished living, early PCD and late PCD cells.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“living cells (annexin V-FITC negative/PI negative), early PCD cells (annexin V-FITC positive/PI negative), and late PCD cells (annexin V-FITC positive/PI positive) could be finely distinguished through this method and then subjected for quantitative analysis”
e1“xylem cell protoplasts from poplar stem”
Claim · model-written summary
Marker gene expression agreed with cell morphology.
- Outcome
- expression of cell-type- and developmental stages-specific marker genese0
- Comparator
- cell morphological observatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“The expression of cell-type- and developmental stages-specific marker genes was consistent with the cell morphological observation”
e1“xylem cell protoplasts from poplar stem”
Claim · model-written summary
The FACS method can be used to study programmed cell death in woody plants.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“the newly developed fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) method can be used to study PCD in woody plants”
e1“xylem cell protoplasts from poplar stem”