Imaging living cells of Aspergillus in vitro.

Live-cell imaging techniques are now routinely used to study filamentous fungi. This has been very much facilitated by the development of a wide range of novel microscope technologies, new fluorescent probes (vital dyes and fluorescent proteins), and major advances in computing hardware and software. Here we show what can be achieved with imaging living cells of Aspergillus fumigatus and A. nidulans in vitro using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Basic techniques for successful live-cell imaging are described, and results are shown from imaging the dynamics of the growing colony margin, nuclear division, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi and asexual structures. Other live-cell imaging studies that have been performed on Aspergillus are also summarized.