Confocal fluorescence microscopy of GFP-ATG8 and RFP-ATG8 in Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis thaliana during grafting

Grafting is an agricultural technique that joins tissues from different plants to obtain desirable rootstock traits. However, cellular processes involved in repair of grafted tissues remain poorly understood. We analyzed Nicotiana benthamiana (Nb) and Arabidopsis thaliana (At) interfamily heterografting as a high-stress model and At homografting as a low-stress model. Using a GFP-ATG8 marker line and a RFP-ATG8 marker line, the autophagosomes were observed in the cells near the graft boundary, especially on the scion side, where nutrient depletion occurred. We presented raw data (.oir files) and original maximum intensity projection images (.tif files) of graft junctions in Nb/At heterografts, Nb/Nb homografts, and At/At homografts.