ePro-ClearSee: a simple immunohistochemical method that does not require sectioning of plant samples

Investigations into the epigenetic status of individual cells within tissues can produce both epigenetic data for different cell types and positional information of the cells. Thus, these investigations are important for understanding the intra- and inter-cellular control systems of developmental and environmental responses in plants. However, a simple method to detect epigenetic modifications of individual cells in plant tissues is not yet available because detection of the modifications requires immunohistochemistry using specific antibodies. In this study, we developed a simple immunohistochemical method that does not require sectioning to investigate epigenetic modifications. This method uses a clearing system to detect methylated histones, acetylated histones, methylated DNA and/or centromeric histone H3 variants. Analyses of four dicots and five monocots indicated that this method provides a universal technique to investigate epigenetic modifications in diverse plant species.