Stereochemical identification of glucans by oligothiophenes enables cellulose anatomical mapping in plant tissues

Efficient use of plant-derived materials requires enabling technologies for non-disruptive composition analysis. The ability to identify and spatially locate polysaccharides in native plant tissues is difficult but essential. Here, we develop an optical method for cellulose identification using the structure-responsive, heptameric oligothiophene h-FTAA as molecular fluorophore. Spectrophotometric analysis of h-FTAA interacting with closely related glucans revealed an exceptional specificity for β-linked glucans. This optical, non-disruptive method for stereochemical differentiation of glycosidic linkages was next used for in situ composition analysis in plants. Multi-laser/multi-detector analysis developed herein revealed spatial localization of cellulose and structural cell wall features such as plasmodesmata and perforated sieve plates of the phloem. Simultaneous imaging of intrinsically fluorescent components revealed the spatial relationship between cell walls and other organelles, such as chloroplasts and lignified annular thickenings of the trachea, with precision at the sub-cellular scale. Our non-destructive method for cellulose identification lays the foundation for the emergence of anatomical maps of the chemical constituents in plant tissues. This rapid and versatile method will likely benefit the plant science research fields and may serve the biorefinery industry as reporter for feedstock optimization as well as in-line monitoring of cellulose reactions during standard operations.