AUTHOR=Bøgeskov Schmidt Frederik , Heskes Allison M. , Thinagaran Dinaiz , Lindberg Møller Birger , Jørgensen Kirsten , Boughton Berin A. TITLE=Mass Spectrometry Based Imaging of Labile Glucosides in Plants JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science VOLUME=9 YEAR=2018 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2018.00892 DOI=10.3389/fpls.2018.00892 ISSN=1664-462X ABSTRACT=
Mass spectrometry based imaging is a powerful tool to investigate the spatial distribution of a broad range of metabolites across a variety of sample types. The recent developments in instrumentation and computing capabilities have increased the mass range, sensitivity and resolution and rendered sample preparation the limiting step for further improvements. Sample preparation involves sectioning and mounting followed by selection and application of matrix. In plant tissues, labile small molecules and specialized metabolites are subject to degradation upon mechanical disruption of plant tissues. In this study, the benefits of cryo-sectioning, stabilization of fragile tissues and optimal application of the matrix to improve the results from MALDI mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is investigated with hydroxynitrile glucosides as the main experimental system. Denatured albumin proved an excellent agent for stabilizing fragile tissues such as