Aniline blue and Calcofluor white staining of callose and cellulose in the streptophyte green algae Zygnema and Klebsormidium

Plant including green algal cells are surrounded by a cell wall, which is a diverse composite of complex polysaccharides and crucial for their function and survival. Here we describe two simple protocols to visualize callose (β-1→3-glucan) and cellulose (β-1→4-glucan) and related polysaccharides in the cell walls of streptophyte green algae by using standard dyes and epifluorescence microscopy.