Plant Acupuncture: a low-cost and open-source device for local mechanical stimulation
- 1Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University & Research
Abstract
Background: Mechanical signals are important regulators of cellular responses in plants. They guide plant development and can activate defense and repair mechanisms. Yet, the molecular mechanisms by which plants perceive, transduce, and interpret mechanical signals are still poorly understood. This is in part due to the lack of methods to apply local, precise and non-damaging mechanical forces to plant cells. Micro-indentation is highly suitable for this purpose, yet available instrumentation is often expensive and difficult to combine with high-resolution microscopy. Results: We designed an open-source and affordable modular indentation device, consisting of 3D printed elements, 3 commercially available piezo motors, and a variety of indentation needles. Due to its modularity, the setup can be readily adapted to meet experimental requirements and works on all microscopes with bespoke adaptors. We show that the setup can be used to explore both rapid and slower touch responses, exemplified by visualizing calcium waves and actin patches induced by touch. We also show that the setup is compatible with various plant species and tissues and can be combined with high-resolution functional imaging. Conclusions: The simple and flexible design of the indentation device presented in this paper ensures that any lab with a 3D printer can build their own setup at low cost and with minimal time investment. The system has a wide range of applications for live plant tissue, making indentation experiments and thereby plant mechanobiology studies, more accessible.
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BibTeX
@misc{daamen2026plant,
title = {{Plant Acupuncture: a low-cost and open-source device for local mechanical stimulation}},
author = {A. Daamen and A. Bellandi and M. Besten and J. Lamers and S. Woudenberg and C. Heijstek and J. W. Borst and C. Borassi and J. Sprakel},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.10.750389},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.10.750389v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Plant Acupuncture: a low-cost and open-source device for local mechanical stimulation
AU - A. Daamen
AU - A. Bellandi
AU - M. Besten
AU - J. Lamers
AU - S. Woudenberg
AU - C. Heijstek
AU - J. W. Borst
AU - C. Borassi
AU - J. Sprakel
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/10
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.10.750389
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.10.750389v1
AB - Background: Mechanical signals are important regulators of cellular responses in plants. They guide plant development and can activate defense and repair mechanisms. Yet, the molecular mechanisms by which plants perceive, transduce, and interpret mechanical signals are still poorly understood. This is in part due to the lack of methods to apply local, precise and non-damaging mechanical forces to plant cells. Micro-indentation is highly suitable for this purpose, yet available instrumentation is often expensive and difficult to combine with high-resolution microscopy. Results: We designed an open-source and affordable modular indentation device, consisting of 3D printed elements, 3 commercially available piezo motors, and a variety of indentation needles. Due to its modularity, the setup can be readily adapted to meet experimental requirements and works on all microscopes with bespoke adaptors. We show that the setup can be used to explore both rapid and slower touch responses, exemplified by visualizing calcium waves and actin patches induced by touch. We also show that the setup is compatible with various plant species and tissues and can be combined with high-resolution functional imaging. Conclusions: The simple and flexible design of the indentation device presented in this paper ensures that any lab with a 3D printer can build their own setup at low cost and with minimal time investment. The system has a wide range of applications for live plant tissue, making indentation experiments and thereby plant mechanobiology studies, more accessible.
ER -